Zootopia: Stone Kole in Storm Warning
by Old Goat
Summary: "Awesome-possom dudes!" Zootopia's favorite small board surfer returns and he is getting married, but things turn sinister when his brother Storm is released from jail with a contract to kill their father Finnick. This is the third & last story in the Stone Kole Series. A story about two brothers living in the city, one who turned to the surf while the other turned to the streets.
1. The Snow Fox

**Zootopia: Stone Kole in Storm Warning**

 _ **"Awesome-possom dudes!"**_ **Zootopia's favorite small board surfer returns and he is getting married, but things turn sinister when his brother Storm is released from jail with a contract to kill their father Finnick. This is the third and last story in the Stone Kole Series.**

* * *

 **The life of Zootopia's favorite surfing fox:**

 **I based the protagonist in this series of stories on the concept art for a fennec fox who would ultimately morph into the character of Nick's friend and business partner Finnick. As with my other stories, the events take place a few years after the movie and feature not only the main character but also several OCs as his friends and family. Nick and Judy, in addition to Finnick, play important roles within the stories.**

 **Zootopia: Stone Kole in Hang Ten! Introduces the surfer and it is a coming to age story as Stoney's life as a carefree beach bum life changes and he is forced to grow up. His best friend Cooper is gay and has been rejected by his own father, our surfing fox has also fallen in love with a sand cat named Karen, and finally, he has found out from his mother that his father did not abandon him and his brother Storm before they were born, but that he had no idea they are even alive.**

 **Zootopia: Stone Kole in Dark Paradise an action romance in which the Stone faces not only the fallout of the bigotry of society, which was brought on when Nick and Judy's budding romantic relationship is publicly exposed, as it turns against him and Karen. This drags the small fox into events that will lead him and his friends to having to ultimately battle for their very lives against supernatural forces on a tropical island. The story also introduces you to a ghostly Zootopian version of another popular Disney movie character.**

 **So, time has passed and life comes to a full circle after the events of the first story. It is the winter season again in Zootopia and a just a few days before one of the city's main holidays, the Winter Solstice with celebrations dedicated to the Holy Lamb. The city streets are decorated for the holiday with bright lights, ribbons, and greenery. For this is a holiday season of goodwill to all…or is it?**

 _I do not own the rights to Zooptopia or any of its characters. This story was written solely for the reader's enjoyment and without any profitable purposes. The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this story are fictitious._

* * *

 **Chapter 1: The Snow Fox**

* * *

SNOW! Gods above how the small tan furred fox in the oversized white winter fleece jacket hated the snow. Stone Kole was born and raised on the "other side" of the Great Wall, where the forced hot dry air blew from heaters to create an artificial desert just a five-mile walk away from where he was now standing. As a fennec fox, he was truly a child of the sand and didn't enjoy the cold air as it nipped at his large ears, causing them to twitch under the snug black wool stocking cap that he wore to keep warm. "Tell me again why you think this is fun?" he sarcastically called over to the pretty sand cat in the lavender snowsuit. "My ears are freezing, my paws are freezing, and my…"

"Quit complaining sourpuss!" Karen laughed as she pulled at his paw, trying to drag him up the steep icy slope toward the snow tubs ahead. "It'll be fun, trust me!"

"You said the same thing about skating!" he huffed as he shook the snow off one of his feet, his foot paws were freezing. "It's just like inline skating honey, that's what you told me, but it wasn't."

The cat wheeled around and glared at him. "Why don't you ever want to do what I want to do?" she pouted with a look of disappointment showing in her eyes. "All I wanted to do is make this Winter's Eve special for you!"

Ashamed, he looked down at the snow which covered his feet and sighed because he knew exactly why Karen and her family had decided to spend their holiday in the icy cold of Tundratown, instead of at the warm condo they owned along the sea coast…he was the reason. They were afraid that the memories of the huge deadly wave, which killed so many during the celebrations along the beachfront part of the city informally called The Strand last year, would overwhelm him. After all, it was that disaster which had led to his nervous breakdown. His father's best friend Nick Wilde had called it "survivor's guilt" and said it was not an unusual post-traumatic stress disorder for those like Stone who had risked their own lives under horrific conditions to save others.

"Look Karen, that wave was a year ago and you can trust me that after our deadly battle with the Voodoo Queen this past summer, I've gotten over any fears about the sea!" he said to her as he pulled her into his arms. "Things just happen that we cannot control, like tidal waves, ghost pirates, and hordes of undead zombies."

"Well either way fox, my father spent good money for everyone to be here this year and you are going to enjoy yourself even if I have to kick you in the tail!" she replied with a small smile on her muzzle. "Now we are next, so you better hold me tight as we go down the slope."

"I wonder that if you bounced out of the tube, would you land on your feet?" he sarcastically mused. "You know they say that cats always…"

He let out a yip as she grabbed his coat and pulled him towards her until their noses touched. "Don't go there fox!" she hissed before giggling as he apologized by kissing her cold nose.

"You two are next!" a gruff voice called out and they turned to stare up at the very large and burly polar bear who was looking down at them with an amused look. "Keep your paws and tails inside of the tubes at all times." Nodding, Stone climbed into the tube and gave a little grunt as Karen fell back on top of him. There was a mighty shove and they were on their way, hurdling down the icy hillside.

"We heard you both screaming all the way down the slope," Karen's brother laughed as he greeted them at the bottom of the hill.

"I didn't scream, that was just Stoney," Karen giggled. "I think he hit some notes that Gazelle couldn't reach with her voice."

"Ha..ha..not!" Stone grumbled and then grinned. "You were screaming too, we both heard it."

"That was because someone's very pointed cold nose was jammed into my neck," Karen replied as she turned and threw her arms around the fox's neck.

"Are you two going to kiss again?" the young tomcat muttered and then he sighed as he walked away while shaking his head, leaving the two lovers alone to kiss.

"So now what?" the fox asked as he looked around at the frozen white surroundings and shivered. "Ice fishing, sledding, or whatever that is?"

Karen looked to where Stone was pointing and saw that there were six otters on a frozen pond and one had just gently sent a tea kettle looking rock sliding over the ice towards a set of markings painted on the opposite side of the icy patch. In front of the sliding rock were two more otters with brushes and they were sweeping in front of the rock's path. "Is that some kind of shuffle boarding?" she mused.

"It's called Curling and it's a favorite winter sport," an older feminine voice answered her and they turned to see a tall elderly mule deer doe in a nun's habit standing there with a shy young arctic fox kit peeking from behind her. "I'm sorry to disturb you both, but you wouldn't happen to be the surfer, Stone Kole?"

"Yes, ma'am I am," the fox answered as he looked up at her.

"I'm Sister Clarence of the Holy Order of Saint Bernard of the High Woods and this is Anton, he is a fan of yours," the nun said with a smile as she used her right hoof to guide the young fox out from behind her. "Anton, now what did you want to ask Mister Kole?"

Although he was still a kit, the seven-year arctic fox was almost the same height as the fennec fox and he hesitated before he held out a piece of paper and a pen. "Go on dear," the nun encouraged him as she leaned over and put a hoof on his back.

"M…Mister Kole, can I have your autograph?" the fox stuttered out in a heavy accent. "Please?"

"Sure," Stone replied with a smile as he took the sheet of paper and then looked around for somewhere to write. "So Anton, are you a surfer?"

The white fox shook his head and sorrowfully stared down at the snow before answering, "I used to play with my boogie board at the beach during winter vacation, but my mommy and daddy died."

The fennec fox's ear's drooped and he first glanced at the kit, before he looked up at the tall nun, she was giving the young fox a sad look. Handing the autographed sheet to the white-furred fox, whose tail was now happily wagging, he had to smile as the kit excitedly showed it to the nun.

"Now go over and finish your hot cider and I'll join you in a moment," the doe said to Anton and Marie giggled as the fox kit skipped his way towards a table at the nearby outdoor café.

"Bless you, Mister Kole," the nun nodded towards him. "Your autograph means so much to him. The poor little tike has had such a rough time since he came to the orphanage. His parents were members of the Rapid Medical Response Team and they told him all about what you did to save so many lives last year when the big wave flooded the coast. He was watching you on television in that ridiculous movie you were in…ah _Beach Spy Jinks_ and told me he wants to grow up to be a surfer. Can you imagine an arctic fox becoming a surfer, isn't that silly?"

"I don't know why not? I'm a fennec fox and we are supposed to hate water, but I'm a surfer," Stone replied with a shrug.

"What happened to his parents?" Karen asked as she looked over at the kit with concern.

"His mother and father were both aboard a rescue helicopter which crashed six months ago while trying to fly survivors out of the Misty Mountains. As far as we can tell, he doesn't have any other family and so Sister Beatrice and I took him in at the orphanage. Unfortunately, he can't stay with us because the Church is closing our facility after the holidays," the tall doe answered.

"Then what will become of him?" Stone asked as he joined them.

"Not too many foster homes will take in a fox, so it looks like he'll be sent to another orphanage," the nun sadly replied. "Sister Beatrice and I are scraping together some money, we are hoping to at least buy him a new snow jacket and maybe some small gifts. You know what children are like, the little sweetheart says he wants a surfboard, but where would he go surf around here?"

Stone looked over at the kit, who was slurping his cider and clutching his autograph. "Well if he wants a surfboard, then he'll get one!" the fox said with a determined voice. "I'll go back to The Strand and get him one in the morning!"

"Stoney!" Karen began to protest, but then sighed and gave a little smile. "Dad's not going to be happy about this, but I think he'll understand."

* * *

Karen and Stone expected more of a protest from the portly tomcat when the fox announced that he was going to go back to the coast to go shopping for a surfboard in the morning. "Well you just need to be back in time for the evening's feast," was all that Chuck said after he heard the story.

It was Karen's mother who was the most concerned, not about her daughter or her fiancé, but about the little orphan and she quickly found the telephone number for the orphanage. "So it's all settled," she announced. "Your little fox friend and the Sisters will be joining us for the feast tomorrow night, so we all need to do some more shopping for gifts tomorrow morning. Let's make sure that the poor child has a proper holiday!"

Morning came early for Stone and the fennec fox yawned as he slipped out of the bed that he was sharing with Karen, he winced as he stepped down onto the cold floor. "Everything is cold around here," he softly muttered in protest as he looked for his pajamas that he had hastily discarded the night before.

"You were nice and warm last night," the cat whispered as she slipped up behind him and wrapped her arms around his naked chest.

"Okay, not everything is cold," he snickered. "But as tempting as it is for me to climb back into the bed to…ah…warm each other up again, I have to catch the train to Sahara Square and then the subway over to The Strand. I called Sandfly last night and he put aside a surfboard for me to buy this morning, he also found a wetsuit that should fit Anton."

Karen hesitated as she gave the fox a skeptical look. "I know you foxes are sly and sneaky, so what are you really up to Stoney?" she asked and raised an eyebrow as the fox hesitated while pulling on his tee-shirt.

"I don't know…" he started to answer and then sighed. "Look I feel sorry for the little guy, he's being shuffled around from place to place and has to be lonely. I know how that feels, Storm and I spent most of our youth being passed around between family and friends while mom worked and we really didn't have a home."

"You've told me that before," Karen replied as she sat up in the bed and wrapped the sheet around herself, hiding her own nakedness. "But your mom was there to tuck you in bed every night and he doesn't really have anyone does he?"

"Since the sale of Jack's treasure, I've got more than enough money to take care of us for a while and then there's your promotion to corporate, so you're not tied down to one hotel anymore," he said as he finished pulling on his tee-shirt. "I was thinking that I might do something more with my life than just surf."

"Spit it out honey," the sand cat said with a smile. "Just what are you thinking?"

"There's this program called Surf Buddies and I thought I would offer to be Anton's mentor," he said as he fell back on the bed and looked up at the ceiling. "Teach him to surf and help him with some of the other things in his life."

"Oh?" Karen replied in a surprised voice before she crawled over the bed to look down at him. "That's a sweet idea." As his paw reached up and caressed her cheek, she quickly added, "Don't you have a train to catch?"

He closed his eyes and nodded before he sat up.


	2. The Sand Fox

**Chapter 2: The Sand Fox**

* * *

 **While Stone is off buying a present for the Snow Fox, his wayward bother Storm has his own problems.**

* * *

Storm Kole sat up in the bed and looked over at the pretty sand cat who was curled against the pillows. _I just don't see what my brother sees in cats?_ he pondered to himself. _She wasn't that bad of a…"_ His thoughts were interrupted by a loud pounding on the door and he cursed as he pulled on his undershorts and padded over to look out the peek hole. Outside was a rough-looking tomcat in a black suit and behind him was that damn jackal in a rumpled tan sport coat.

"Open up Kole, the boss has a job fer youz!" the cat called out as he scratched his scarred muzzle.

"I'm busy!" the fox growled as he threw the door open. "I've got a visitor so be polite." His voice was much deeper than his brother's and the young fox's physique was thicker, more muscular than Stone's too. In his looks and mannerisms, he was in every way a younger version of his estranged father Finnick.

The tomcat at the door first looked amused at the fox until Storm turned and called over to the petty sand cat, who had pulled the sheet up to cover her nakedness. "Hey babe, get up and get dressed!"

"Youz son of a bitch!" the male cat hissed as he swung at the fox. Storm quickly stepped back to avoid the clumsy punch. "That's my sister!"

Storm grinned as he blocked the cat's next swing, "I'm not the one who let my sister become a whore."

"ENOUGH CHUCKIE!" the jackal growled as he grabbed the angry cat by the scruff of his neck. "We don't have time for this nonsense. You know that the boss has a job for the fox!"

"Stay out of this Joey, this is personnel!" the tomcat named Chuckie angrily snapped back, but he finally lowered and sheathed his claws. "Another time fox!"

Storm turned his back to his foe but kept an eye on him in the mirror's reflection from across the drab dingy motel room. Digging into his pant pockets, he pulled out a roll of cash and peeled off several big bills, which he tossed over to the embarrassed she-cat as she was quickly wiggling into her tight red dress. "Here you go babe," he sighed. "Look, you're too nice to be doing this for a living, so go find something new to do far away from here before this life destroys you."

"This is twice what you owe me!" she exclaimed as she tucked the money away.

"Consider the extra as Winter Solstice gift," the fox replied with a shrug as he watched her sashay her way towards the door and past her angry brother. Reaching over, he pulled his blue suit pants over his legs and drew on his white dress shirt. "So Joey, do you have any idea what's going on this time?"

"Just the T-Brothers needing a scout to check out a place before they do a hit," the Jackal replied as he leaned against the door jam and watched his partner chase the other cat down the hallway. "Eyes and ears fox, that's all." Then Joey looked back at Storm and laughed, "You should do fine considering the size of your ears."

The T-Brothers were a pair of bengal tigers who proved muscle for the mob, they were close quarter killers that loved to use their claws. "Those two give me the willies," the fox commented as he buttoned up his shirt and grabbed his tie. "They really have a hit tonight on Winter's Eve?"

"Just another night for the boss, he ain't into this Holy Lamb shit," the Jackal said with a shrug of his shoulders before he frowned at what was going on down the hallway. There were voices yelling in an argument. "Do you go out of your way to aggravate him Storm? You had to know she was Chuckie's sister and you could have picked up another girl. One of these days he's gonna kill you if you aren't careful."

"Life isn't fun unless I piss him off now and then," the fox snickered. "Besides I wanted to know what my brother sees in cats. As for him killing me, well we all have to die someday."

"I really don't know why the boss likes you so much fox?" the jackal replied as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a cigarette, then he dug around for his lighter.

"Here!" Storm called out as he tossed his lighter to the bigger goon. "I don't know if the boss likes me or just likes to mess with me. He's still is holding that damn contact unfulfilled like a sword over my head."

"Yeah, it's on your own damn father," the Jackal grunted as he took a puff of his cigarette. "That's cruel."

Storm shoved his paws into his pants pockets and looked towards the wall as he remembered the day he got out of jail, it had been several months ago as Joey and Chuckie led him to meet the boss.

The tall pudgy camel named Salazar was dressed in a spotlessly white jellabiya and he leaned back into some plush cushions while taking another drag from a tall decorative brass hookah which was sitting before him on a gold tripod. Looking down at the small fennec fox, he blew the white smoke into the air. "So Storm Kole, you have returned you back to our embrace?" the camel mused as he reached for a date that was on a silver platter.

The fox tried not to frown when the camel tossed him the morsel and he mumbled his thanks as he chewed the sweet treat, he knew better than to insult his ruthless boss by refusing the humiliating gift. It symbolized that the criminal mastermind, who sat on the royal blue cushions before him, more or less owned him and it was a bond that the young fox had foolishly forged when he was still an angry youth. "Thank you Sidi," he said with a bow.

"So my little wayward friend, what am I to do with you now that you have returned?" the camel acted like he was musing the small fox's fate, but Storm knew that a decision had already been made and Salazar was only dramatically toying with him. "You are young and look like a puppy, perhaps I can find you a place in one of my brothels?" he teased with a chuckle. "You would be popular with some of our more perverted clients."

Storm could not help but grimace at that statement, although he did contain his anger. All those years in jail, he had made it quite clear and a few times in a very violently dramatic fashion, that he did not do that. "But such would be a punishment and not a reward for you, little one," the camel continued. "You should be rewarded for your loyalty in not revealing any of our little family's secrets, perhaps when we finish I will arrange for you to visit such a delightful place as my guest? I have several new vixens that you might like to visit since you have been denied a female's embrace for so long." Storm tried, but failed, to keep his tail from wagging at the thought of that prospect and it did not go unnoticed by the smiling camel.

"But I have a mission for you to prove your loyalty, one that is very difficult but necessary," Salazar continued to speak as he puffed on his pipe again, blowing the smoke into rings above Storm's head. The rough-looking sand cat in a blue suit handed him a file and he opened it to see a photo of a red fox in a police uniform.

"You want me to do what to this cop?" he asked with concern. "Ain't this Nick Wilde?"

The camel puffed again before he leaned forward. "That fox has been a thorn in my side for months, he and his partner have been picking away at my street operations. So far they haven't upset anything major, but he has interfered with one scheme after another!" the camel snapped in anger. Then he relaxed and leaned back again into the cushions. "But alas, he is protected somewhat by my associates in Tundratown, who have taken a liking to his partner and she has taken more than a casual liking for her partner."

"A bunny and a fox?" Storm couldn't help but blurt out in surprise. "You've got to be kidding."

"So if I cannot hurt the cop," Salazar said in a menacing voice. "I can hurt him other ways to warn him off."

Storm turned the page and his blood froze when he saw the next photo, it was his father Finnick! He struggled not to show any emotion, but looked up at the large camel and gave a thin smile. "So what do you want me to do?" he asked.

The camel leaned forward and looked into the fox's eyes, "Simple my little friend, I want you to kill him!"

Although the small fox had no great love for the father who he thought had abandoned him and his brother Stone, he knew that this was wrong. Impassively he stared back at Salazar before he nodded.

The sound of crying and the thump of a blow brought him out of his reflections and he began to object, "Finn ain't my father…" There was another thud down the hallway and a female's cry of pain. "Damn, is he beating her?"

"Let it go!" the jackal said as he tried to block the exit, but the small fox slipped past him and ran down the stairs.

She was propped against the wall with the angry tomcat standing over her and she tenderly held her muzzle as she cried, there was blood on her lips. "You'll damn well do what I tell youz…" the bigger male cat hissed as he brought his fist up for another blow.

Storm grabbed the assailant's fist and twisted the cat's arm before delivering a blow to Chuckie's chin with his own fist. "Leave her alone you bastard!" he growled.

"You're dead now fox," the cat hissed as he stood up and unsheathed his claws.

Storm faced the tomcat with his teeth bared. "Come on and try it!" he snarled. "I'll bite your face off!"

The jackal's larger fist came down hard across the fox's back, sending him sprawling onto the floor. "STOP IT you two idiots," the larger canine yelled. "Storm you've got work to do!"

Storm looked up at the two mobsters with unconcealed hatred in his eyes. "Yeah, I've got work," he growled in a low voice. "But this ain't over with cat!"

.


	3. A Fox Gets a Warning

**Chapter 3: A Fox Gets a Warning**

* * *

 **Storm has a chat with a familiar red fox and Stone talks with his best friend Cooper.**

* * *

"It's a damn mess in there Wilde!" one of the detectives, a stout pig in a rumpled blue blazer and khaki slacks, cursed as he stepped out of the bar and onto the street. "What sick bastard would murder someone like that on Winter's Eve of all nights?" Detective Hamilton "Hammy" Mudd, loosened his tie and reached around in his pockets for a cigarette, cursing again when he found that his pack was already empty. Looking over at the lean red fox in the blue police uniform, he raised his eyebrows in anticipation.

"That's a habit I never took up," Nick Wilde said with a small smile, which to others looked almost looked like one of his trademarked smirks, as he pointed towards a uniformed ram. "But Baawaski over there still puffs away like a chimney, he said his wife told him that he had to quit and now he smokes twice as much as before."

"Rams were always hardheaded in their ways," the boar chuckled.

"So what happened in there?" the fox asked as he lifted his chin to look better into the open door. "Was it a hit?"

"Yeah, trademarked hit by the T-Brothers," Mudd grunted as he scratched his ear with his hoof. "You'd think by now they'd screw up and leave at least some DNA or something behind! Not even a damn strand of fur, but the spacing of the claw marks are the same for a tiger."

"Sad, but they got only the bar's owner?" the fox replied as he followed alongside the boar as he walked towards the ram. "If I recall, he had a pretty vixen who worked the tables most of the nights."

"We found her gagged up in the back, I should have figured that you'd have an eye for her being a cute kit fox," Mudd chuckled before he stopped and looked down at the fox with a grin. "I forgot that you prefer bunnies."

Nick was going reply with a sarcastic remark, but he saw someone familiar in the crowd that had gathered to watch. He looked up just in time to see the smaller fox disappeared down a nearby alleyway. "Look, let me know if you need anything," he hastily said to the detective before he slipped away towards the crowd.

Detective Hammy Mudd watched the uniformed fox disappear into the crowd and then he shrugged before calling over to get the ram's attention.

The uniformed fox weaved through the crowd, mostly party goers who had already been into the celebratory drink. Peering into the darkness before him, he hesitated to give his eyes time to adjust to the lack of light. "Finn is that you?" he called out to the shadowy figure leaning against the wall. It was definitely a fennec fox, about the right height and size of his friend, but he had thought that Finn was with Susan working bar at a catering job on the coast. "What are you doing here?"

"I ain't Finn," the voice growled from the darkness, whoever it was sounded a lot like his friend with the same deep voice, but he sounded younger in his tone. "You must be Wilde."

Nick's eyes adjusted to the darkness and he saw that the fennec fox standing before him was wearing a dark blue suit and white dress shirt which was open at the neck, there was a thick gold chain showing from the shirt's opening. "You must be Storm Kole," the red fox replied. "We've been looking for you since you got out of jail. Your mom and dad are worried…"

"I ain't got no dad!" the small fox snapped back in anger. The fox's paw dug around in his pocket and Nick quickly brought his own paw down over his tranquilizer gun. "Only getting out a smoke," Storm sighed as he pulled out a cigarette and then he flicked his lighter. Taking a puff, he looked the other fox over. "Calm down fox, I ain't here to hurt you none."

"You do have a brother," Nick added as he moved his paw away from the gun and relaxed a bit. "He's sick with worry about you too."

"Heh…Stone was always the good son," Storm said as he inhaled and then blew the smoke over his head. "I heard he hit the jackpot too!"

"He did find a buried pirate's treasure," the uniform cop answered. "He told me and your dad that he'd give it all to you if you'd quit your life of crime. You could take the money and leave the city, go find somewhere to start a new life."

"They'd find me, you know that fox," the fennec fox sighed. "There ain't no place to run and I ain't charmed like you."

"What does that mean?" Nick asked as his head slightly tilted in a candid manner. "Charmed like me?"

"The boss is pissed because you've been getting your tail into too many of his street jobs," the smaller fox answered. "He can't lay a paw on you because of the bunny, the word is that she's besties with Big's daughter and if we do something to you…well it wouldn't sit too good with those guys on the other side of the wall."

"So why are you telling me this?" the red fox asked as he gave the other fox a frown. "Are you telling me to back off or what?"

"If you don't back off, they'll hurt you other ways!" Storm snarled. "You can't be touched, but your friends won't be so lucky."

"Who? Who do you mean?" Nick snapped as he stepped towards the smaller fox, only to hesitate when he sniffed a familiar scent.

"Just give my regards that asshole who calls himself my father," Storm answered as he tossed the still-burning cigarette onto the pavement. A puddle of gasoline caught fire and flared up, blinding the red fox. By the time he blinked and looked around, the fennec fox was gone.

* * *

Stone grinned as he rode the train back toward Tundratown, his friend Sandfly had set aside a true surfer's board at the surf shop and not one of the cheap knock-off versions that had been so popular last year when the movie _Beach SpyJinks_ had premiered and everyone was clamoring for the "Rip Rock Special". The fox chuckled to himself at the thought of the large muscular bull even trying to stay on a surfboard. No, surfing was not one of the actor's special skills, the popular action movie star's talents lay more with his acting, drinking, and charming the ladies. It was good seeing the lanky wolf and his father again, he even missed not working at the store this year. Stone had been very successful in his sale endeavors last year and playing on his minor success after the movie's release, but the sequel they had filmed earlier this year wasn't going to be released until just before the Summer Solstice Holiday.

He gently ran his paw along the top of the board and remembered his first surfboard, he rarely used it nowadays although it was still his favorite because his mother had bought it for him. The small fox frowned as he looked out the window at the sand dunes that they were quickly passing and the rocky Canyonlands in the distance. That board had cost his mother more than she should have paid. He had naively told her earlier that year that he was determined to buy it on his own and tried his best to raise the money by doing odd jobs for the neighbors and the businesses on The Strand, but he never could earn close to enough money. On the morning of his fourteenth birthday, she gave him the surfboard and he was all excited until he saw the pain she was in that night. It was obvious what she had done to "earn" the money from that perverted warthog, who she sometimes did bookkeeping for at his motel. His brother Storm was furious and it was not long after that that the warthog just disappeared. Sadly Stone knew that was the night that his brother became a member of the mob and it was his fault.

Wiping a tear from his eye, he thought about his brother. His littermate was out of jail, but instead of coming home, he had disappeared into the shady back alleyways of Sahara Square. Desperate to find him, Stone had wandered from one seedy bar to the next dive asking about him, but he only got either amused or sad looks before he finally got a message telling him not to come looking for his brother again. "Damn you Storm," he muttered softly as he looked at the Great Wall that was now in sight. He was still feeling sorry for himself when his phone rang and he looked down to see it was his best friend Cooper on MuzzleTime.

"Yo Cooper, how's the family brah?" he answered with a chuckle. "Are you and Billy having fun on Outback Island?"

"Miss you mate!" the wallaby answered in a happy voice and Stone knew from the way the hopper was looking, that his friend had already been partaking of the holiday punch. "Are you still freezing your skinny tail on the bloody wrong side of the wall? It's a balmy day here…mumurpff!"

"You okay dude?" Stone asked as the screen went dark and then it only showed the floorboards.

"He's fine Stoney!" Billy cheerfully replied as he grinned at him on the screen, it was quite evident that the other wallaby now had the phone. "I warned him not to stand under the mistletoe."

"Lesson learned mate," the Cooper added as he looked over his husband's shoulder.

"Cooper's dad is trying to do his best to get used to having a son-in-law and we're being careful in not to letting him see us making out," Billy added as he reached up and affectionately stroked Cooper's muzzle

"I know what you mean brah," the fox laughed. "I'm still treading softly around Karen's dad too, although sand cats are more open to signs of affection. He says we're just…ah catting around…like all cats do before they get married."

"Mate, is that a surfboard?" Cooper hiccupped out as he rested his chin on Billy's shoulder and gave a stupidly content look. "Don't you have enough of those?"

"It's not for me," Stone replied, trying not to laugh too hard at his friend's antics. "It's for an orphaned arctic fox kit I met yesterday. He's coming over for the festivities and is a fan of mine. He said he wanted to surf, so I got him a board and I'm also going to offer him lessons."

"That's cool Stone!" Billy said before his eyes went wide in surprise. "Cooper, stop that! Stop that now! We've got to go Stoney…" The phone screen went blank, but not before the fox saw his two friends kissing.

Putting the phone back into his pocket, he smiled when he looked out the window and saw the pretty sand cat in her lavender snowsuit waiting at the train station's platform.


	4. Deceptions & Consequenes

**Chapter 4 Deceptions & Consequences**

* * *

Nick was puzzled by his encounter with the smaller fox in the alleyway and after grabbing a fire extinguisher from one of the patrol cars, he pondered Storm Kole's warning as he put the small fire out. "Hey Mudd," the fox called over to the detective who had stepped back outside of the bar. "The waitress…Penny, did she give you a description of who tied her up?"

"She said it was a young fennec fox," the pig replied as he looked over at the uniformed police officer still holding the fire extinguisher. "Her description was typically vague...you know handsome, about a foot and a half tall, tan fur, and big ears, but she said he had a deep voice. He lured her out back by offering to share a catnip joint, you know how loopy that gets you foxes! Nick, why are you holding a fire extinguisher?"

Trash fire," the red fox lied before changing the subject. "So, whoever it was must have known that there was going to be a hit on the owner and he saved her life by getting her outside and tying her up. He kept her away from the T-Brothers."

"We're taking her back to the station so she can go through some mugshots, it shouldn't be too hard to find him because there just aren't that many fennec foxes who have criminal records," the pig grunted. "Hey you've got a pal who's a fennec fox, where was he tonight?"

"It wasn't Finn, he doesn't get into this kind of stuff," Nick replied as he looked down at his cell phone. "Besides he's working bar at a private event over on the coast with his girlfriend."

"Well, we'll catch him whoever he is," the detective shrugged as he walked away.

* * *

Storm fretted with himself, he was stupid by letting that kit fox live and he knew it was going to cause him major problems with the boss. A few years ago, he wouldn't have batted an eye at the thought of letting those two tigers kill her in addition to the bar's owner, but she was just so innocently naïve. Only a college student trying to earn some cash to pay her way through school and she didn't deserve to die. The owner didn't really need to die either, sure he had only refused to pay the weekly extortion money for doing business in the Salazar's territory and had tried to rally others not to do so too, but still, they should have just trashed the place and not killed him. He frowned as he realized that the portly camel was losing it, acting like he was royalty and not just a crime lord.

Salazar had always been jealous of Mister Big, the shrew had an iron fist over Tundratown, but he also had something that the camel never had and that was class. Big didn't just terrorize his icy domain, he won the resident's hearts and minds by sponsoring many of the charities which assisted the poor and the working poor. The shrew's money-making schemes became concentrated in smuggling, prostitution, and illegal gambling in addition to some minor extortion and stolen goods. Although the northern mafia family did not hesitate to resort to violence when necessary, they steered clear of such violent crimes such as muggings and even high-pressure protection rackets which were Salazar's favorite. It was a well-known fact that the "other side of the wall", which they called Tundratown, was one of the safest places to live. No one crossed Mister Big without facing the consequences and therefore petty crimes, muggings, and murders were relatively few.

The camel however dealt in things that the shrew would not touch, such as heavy-handed sexual extortions, kitnappings, drugs, and underage prostitution. Anyone who angered the boss enough to draw his ire would be visited by the T-brothers or one of his other many enforcers. Stone usually did the odd jobs for him, such as shaking down the professional panhandlers, con-artists, and delivery companies for the so-called privilege of working in Sahara Square.

By the time he got back to the camel's villa on the shores of the downtown oasis, he knew things were not going to be fine. Ushered into Salazar's opulent chambers, the fox looked at the lush blue and green carpeting, the high domed ceiling with gold trim and dark blue paint to represent the night, the columns were gaudy looking with more silver and gold leaf work. Sitting on a wooden platform piled with plush cushions in the back of the room, the camel frowned down at him in anger. A silver platter of dates and oatcakes sat by his feet, along with a large ornate carafe of blood-red wine. "You let her live!" the boss snarled. "A witness, you left alive a witness who saw you!" In his anger, he picked up and threw the silver tray of food at the fox. Storm didn't flinch as the tray crashed at his feet, scattering the dates and cakes all over the floor.

With his paws still in his pockets, the fennec fox impassively stared at the camel as the much larger animal rose from the platform and shook crumbs off his robes before he walked towards a set of doors. "Come!" he ordered as he pushed the doors open and stepped out into the moonlit garden beyond. The fox followed him out into the lush garden, pushing his way past the deep green fern fronds which sprawled onto the crushed white marble walkway. His nose twitched from the intoxicating scents of the Mandevilla and jasmine flowers which perfumed the air.

The camel stood before a three-tiered tiled fountain and closed his eyes as he listened to the water's splashing sound. String lights glittered in the trees around the fountain and above them were the bright lights of the Palm Hotel which rose impressively over a thousand feet above everything else, like a gigantic palm tree. Both the camel and the fox looked up at the city's pride and joy, but Storm also knew that it was a symbol of Salazar's greatest failure. Try as he might, the crime lord could never get control of the casino within. The camel sighed as he turned his attention back to the fox. "So what should I do with you my little wayward child?" he mused to himself. "Maybe I should let the T-Brothers play with you some? No, they would surely break you. Perhaps I should have you return and kill that pretty little fox or even make you fulfill the contract on Wilde's little friend?"

"She was an innocent and didn't deserve to die," Storm calmly stated. "There are plenty fennec foxes around, so she'll never pick me out. By letting her live it shows the magnanimity of your grace and that you only punish only those who deserve it."

"Magnanimity?" the camel huffed. "I'm no ice rodent who wants to have the approval of those who live around me! I want them to fear me and know that if they do not do as they are told that they will be punished. Fear breeds discipline and order Kole and you should have learned this by now!"

"Have I ever shown disloyalty to you Sidi?" Storm replied as he knelt before the gangster as if he was royalty.

"Ah my wayward child, you have always done my bidding," the camel chuckled as he looked down at the small fox. "Perhaps I'll let you live another day? But do not expect to be rewarded for your work earlier tonight and I will expect you to clean up your own mess if necessary."

The camel left the fox alone in the garden and he stood there and reflected on why he had even saved the young kit fox's life as he did, Salazar was right that it was foolish and dangerous. He gave a sad smile as he remembered the vixen's eyes and her smile as they teased each other in the bar, he knew that she was special and didn't deserve to be left to the "mercy" of the two tigers. He realized that his tail was swishing as he remembered leading her out the back door and lighting up the nip joint, she giggled as she took a puff and he leaned closer to take it from her paws before their noses almost touched. She had bluish-green eyes, he reflected, unusual for a fox and her muzzle was so tantalizing close. He slightly jumped in surprise as he heard the crunch of the gravel warning him of someone's approach and he looked over a sexy fennec fox vixen approaching, she was scantily dressed in silk scarves which barely concealed her body. "Our master sent me as a gift tonight, a present for the Winter Eve," she almost purred as she took the male fox's paw and pulled him willingly towards a doorway. "They call me Jasmine."

The next morning, the small fox found himself in the kitchen with the two tigers who yawned and grumbled about the time of day. Storm looked around at the domestic servants, some no more than slaves to Salazar's whims. "We do all the work and the boss rewards you with a vixen," one of the T-Brothers grumbled. The fox had trouble telling the two apart, but he thought it was Tony.

"Yeah, we even had to go back out last night for another job while you were snuggled up with that girl." The other tiger, Tommy laughed.

The two tigers looked with anticipation as the staff brought them both huge trays with silver domes covering them and Stone could smell that they contained eggs and fried fish hidden within them. A smaller tray was sat before him and he sniffed the air, hesitating when he smelled the tang of raw blood. Cautiously he reached over with his paw and gently started lifting the lid, from the corner of his eye he saw the two tigers lean forward in anticipation. Pulling the lid up his eyes widened in horror as he looked up the decapitated head of the kit fox vixen staring blankly at him with dead eyes and her mouth twisted in pain.

"Another job fox," Tommy hardily laughed at the look that Storm gave him. "Cleaning up your mess."

Storm gently sat the cover down over the head and leaned over to puke.

"Aw, the little fox can't take a joke," Tony growled as he stuck a claw into a filet of fried fish and munched on it as he spoke. "Next time Kole it'll be your head on the platter."

Tommy grinned at his partner's statement until he saw the look of pure hatred that briefly shown in the small fox's eyes.


	5. A Winter's Morning

**Chapter 5: A Winter's Morning**

* * *

 **Snow and ice are not one of the little surfer's favorite things. Nick and Judy save the day.**

* * *

Stone Kole was snugly bundled up as he sat in the camp chair looking out towards the Great Wall which separated the icy cold of Tundratown from the desert warmth of Sahara Square. He felt Karen lean closer while they both watched the brightening sky beyond the wall as a priest droned on about the Great Lamb and the Dawn of Hope. The fox glanced around him at the other mammals who had come to celebrate the solstice on this snowy field. Karen's parents were there and her father was bundled up in blankets like a mummy. He smiled at their guest, the little arctic fox had finally succumbed to last night's excitement and try as he might, he had nodded off in the lap of Sister Clarence while the tall mule deer doe in the black habit gently and lovingly stroked the young fox's forehead between his ears. Sister Beatrice sat next to her and looked down at the sleeping fox with a frown, she had tried to awaken the little tike so he could hear the message being given but the taller nun asked her a simple question, "What sins could this young pup have committed that he has to listen to a lecture about redemption?"

"How can you hear anything the priest is saying?" Karen softly whispered as she pulled at the hood that he wore over the heavy wool stocking cap which tightly fit over his big ears in an attempt to keep out the freezing predawn cold.

"He was telling us to seek forgiveness and redemption now because it will be too late to do so after you die," Stone whispered back in a sarcastic tone. "But we both know that he is wrong, don't we? Captain Jack Sparrow found it after he died."

"Maybe he was a special case?" the cat replied with a soft giggle. "After all, he was a very handsome and sexy ghost!"

"Oh, so now I need to be jealous of a long-dead coyote?" the fox sighed a little too loud and he flinched at the stern look that Karen's father shot him. Before he could shrug, the sun rose into sight and everyone stood to sing a hymn to the dawn.

As they sang, Stone looked over at the little arctic fox puppy. Anton blinked in confusion after having been so rudely interrupted from his nap and gave a toothy yawn. It had been a big night for the orphan, starting with the feast and followed by opening so many presents that he and Karen's family had bought him. Anton's eyes were wide with excitement and his tail furiously wagged as he unwrapped the surfboard which Stone had bought, but was tagged as a gift from the mythical Santa Paws, and he almost knocked the fennec fox over as he joyously hugged Stone when he told him he would personally teach him how to surf. Anton glanced his way and gave him the kind of heart-wrenchingly cute smile which only a seven-year-old fox could give, so innocent and full of life.

Although he smiled back at the other fox, Stone was greatly concerned about Anton's future. Last night the nuns informed him that the only orphanage that would take in another fox was way over in the Rainforest District, which was not the healthiest environment for a mammal who grew up in a cold icy world. Karen's mother was worried that the damp hot weather would expose the pup to the mange or some similar nasty skin disease because of his thick fur. Even outside in this cold weather, the fox had unzipped his coat because he was hot and starting to pant, which was another issue he would have in the jungle because foxes don't sweat like jungle animals and mostly have to pant to regulate their body temperature.

Stone sighed as he looked around at the crowd who was singing, most were in light jackets or sweaters and not bundled up like he was because they were adapted to the cold. Suddenly his eyes spied a uniformed rabbit standing on a platform looking over the crowd and lazily leaning against the base of the stand was a familiar red fox. Apparently Nick was off duty because he was dressed in a tacky almost lime green colored winter coat. Judy, however, was dressed in a dark blue police issued parka and she nodded at him when she saw him in the crowd.

He flinched slightly as Karen suddenly jabbed him in his side with her elbow. "Do you got something for the offering?" she muttered. Frantically Stone dug around into his coat pocket and found some cash which he placed in the basket as it circulated by him. He quickly passed a few coins to Karen and nodded towards Anton, she handed them to her father and the Tomcat frowned before adding a few bills to the pitiful pawful of coins before giving them to Anton, just in time for the young fox to drop them into the basket. The nuns both gave a satisfied nod before they added their merger contributions. "All you had were coins?" Karen softly hissed to him.

"That's all I could get to without dropping my snow pants, my wallet is in my back pocket!" he hissed in a rather amused manner. "I didn't see you digging around in your purse for any for more cash, so much for female liberation and equality?"

Even under her fashionable wool cap, he could tell the sand cat was blushing in embarrassment before she stuck her tongue out at him and gave him the raspberry.

* * *

Nick tried not to yawn as he looked up at the rabbit on the platform. Ever since they returned from Saint Sylvester Island, Chief Bogo had split up their partnership and reassigned them with other officers, although they still shared the same oversized cubicle. The fox was now spending most of his assignments with the K-9 unit, something the wolves found amusing and they would often tease Nick that he had to be partly a cat because of the way he moved, his partially retractable claws, and his tendency to pounce in a fight. Judy found herself assigned most of the time with Francine, who despite their vast differences in sizes seemed to enjoy her smaller partner's company. The two also perfected a move called they dubbed the "spitball", in which the elephant would hurtle the rabbit with her trunk at a fleeing suspect.

Sipping his coffee again, Nick finally gave into a yawn as he stretched. The fox had started work at eight in the morning the day before and clocked out at almost midnight because of a murder in Sahara Square. His eyes caught sight of Stone Kole and he frowned as he remembered what the smaller fox's brother had told him about backing off or someone would get hurt. Wiping the sleep from his eyes, he looked up at Judy and she was still scanning the crowd below. "Another hour and you get off," he called up to her. "We still can stop and visit Fru Fru and her family before we head home."

Judy briefly looked down at him before she replied. "It will have to be very brief since you are supposed to go back on duty tonight at six," she chided him. "You should have gone home to bed instead of hanging around me while I worked last night."

"I just wanted to spend the holiday with my honey bunny, even if I had to follow you and Francine around all night. Besides, you know it was my charming sense of humor which kept you two in stitches all night."

"No one can say you're boring Slick," she replied before grinning and turning to launch herself off the platform while calling out. "Catch me, partner!"

Nick winced as he lifted his arms to catch the rabbit, but she was snatched out of the air by an elephant's trunk. "She was talking to me," Francine laughed. "Well, Hopps the only shady character I see around here is standing in front of me. Are you heading back to the station or calling it in to hang around this questionable mammal?"

"I think I can handle him," Judy chuckled as the elephant let the rabbit slide down her trunk into the fox's arms. "Come on Slick, let's go wish Stone and Karen a happy Winter Solstice!"

"Then I wish you two adieu and a happy holiday as I drag my half-frozen carcass back to the police cruiser and then to the station," the elephant called out as she waved on her way back across the frozen field towards the large police cruiser.

Judy and Nick weaved their way through the milling crowd, which was beginning to disperse, until they finally reached the fennec fox and the sand cat. "Happy Winter Solstice!" Judy called out as he hugged both Stone and Karen. "We were surprised to see you on this side of the wall, why aren't you on the beach this morning?"

"Karen's dad was afraid that it would bring back bad memories about last year," Stone replied as he tried to push his coat's hood from falling over his eyes. "I think I've already come to terms with that night, especially with what we've all been through on the island."

Reaching out Nick shook the smaller fox's paw. "Who's the pup?" he asked as he nodded towards Anton.

"The kit is an orphan we met yesterday. He's a fan and was all alone, so we asked him to join us for the festivities last night," Stone replied as he looked over at the small arctic fox.

Judy's ears shot up when she heard the fennec fox's worried tone his voice. "Is there something wrong?" she asked as she looked over at the puppy, her nose was twitching.

"The Church is closing the orphanage and he is being sent off to another one, but it's over in the Rainforest District," Karen answered as she looked over at Anton with concern. "That's the only place that will accept him. We've been told that none of the local orphanages here in town will take another fox."

"That's terrible," Nick softly growled. "We foxes are always getting the short shaft. I wish we could help him."

"Maybe we know someone we can ask?" Judy added with a small smile as she looked back over at the happy little white-furred fox who was playing in the snow with some other children.

By that afternoon, the nuns were pleasantly surprised to receive a call from the local bishop with news that a private orphanage had an opening for Anton. It seems that no one in Tundratown, including the Church, would dare say no to Fru Fru and her father Mister Big.


	6. Watching

**Chapter 6: Watching**

* * *

 **Two brothers and a cat come to terms with the changes that they face.**

* * *

The fox stood in the shadows and watched as the others did their business with the pudgy camel, who acted as if he was royalty as he sat perched upon his divan. Occasionally Salazar would take a puff from his hookah or sip his chilled red wine as he gave out his orders. He was haughtily benevolent to those who faithfully served him and without mercy to those who failed. Storm Kole was among the later and although he had performed all his subsequent jobs efficiently, he was not yet forgiven for his act of kindness of allowing the waitress to live. Salazar kept him on a short lease, even requiring the fox to live inside the villa, abet in a small dank basement room. Always the threat of the contract on his father was dangled over him like the proverbial Sword of Damocles, although the fox maintained the attitude that he didn't care. Many nights after his work, he would find himself wandering down the back streets to the brothel and into Jasmine's arms. More the once, he would awaken in the vixen's embrace during the predawn hours only to have to slip back into the villa before his absence was noticed by Salazar's goons.

Watching others…he had done that since he was the tender age of fourteen when at his request, the mobsters came for the perverted warthog who abused his mother. He watched to make sure the coast was clear when they hauled him out of his office and then watched some more as they drove their knives into the fat boar's chest before they shoved his lifeless carcass over the boat's railings to the waiting sharks. Later Storm found himself repaying the mafia as a messenger who ferried information from one mobster to the next, always by memory so if he never had any incriminating evidence upon himself if he was detained by the police or a rival gang. His life had changed that day because he had become part of the Family and once you join, you can never leave.

The days turned into weeks before one of his simple jobs took him back to the part of the city where he grew up, it was not a dangerous job but rather routine. Storm had a feeling it was just another test of loyalty, to see if he contacted any of his family or old friends and so he kept to the shadows. However, he found himself standing on top of a tall hotel and watching the beach below him with a smile as this time what he watched was the joyful scene of his brother Stone trying to teach a young arctic wolf pup how to surf. The small white fox's fur had been trimmed closer than usual almost making him look like an albino gray fox except for his shorter ears and muzzle. The grooming was an obvious attempt to make the little guy more comfortable with the warmer weather and the saltwater. Storm chuckled as the snow fox's tail happily wagged as he grabbed his surfboard and followed the fennec fox into the surf.

Sitting back with his feet dangling off the building's roof, Storm watched his bother and the young fox as they bobbed in the waves, it reminded him of the times when Stone tried to teach him how to surf and failed. A crowd of surfers of various sizes had gathered to watch as the pup caught a wave and after wobbling some, he finally stood up to ride his board towards the shore before taking a spill into the water. The tan fox on the roof gave a small smile as the surfers cheered the puppy as he swam to shore.

Finally he clamored to his feet and with one last look back at his brother, slipped into the hotel's interior and down the stairwell towards the ground floor where his black sedan awaited him. Within a few minutes, he adjusted his sunglasses as the small car zoomed down the highway away from the coast and towards the desert beyond.

* * *

As he floated on his surfboard in the warm sunshine and watched Anton catch the wave, Stone Kole had a sudden feeling he was being watched and looked around but didn't see anyone except the usual crowd of surfers who were yelling words of encroachment to his protégé. He watched the young fox tentatively stand up on his board with a grin and then struggle as he tried to stay upright on his board for the first time as he rode the wave. "Not bad!" Stone mumbled to himself and snickered when the little surfer slipped and splashed into the foamy water. Once the fox's head popped up in the surf, Stone relaxed and cheered with the rest of his companions before he caught the next wave towards the shore.

Anton enthusiastically was begging to go again, but Stone looked at the receding surf and then the sun before sadly shaking his head no. "It's getting late and we need to clean up before we head back to Mallard's Hall," Stone told the younger fox. Mallards Hall was a private institution where Anton was now living. Somehow the young fox had a benefactor who was paying all his bills, along with all those of the others who lived in the vast snow-covered gray stone mansion which overlooked the icy cold waters of the Polar Straits. "Run to the showers and wash up. Then we'll sneak over to get a snowcone, but only if you promise it won't ruin your dinner. You know how mad Miss Jenkins gets at me if you don't eat her cooking!" The white fox was all smiles as he happily trotted towards the outdoor shower.

"He's getting better," a familiarly haughty voice called over to Stone and he turned to see Bonaparte standing there with his board. The fox was surprised that the mongoose was talking to him, after all, the two had for some reason become bitter rivals. "The kit has a lot of natural talent, so we both better keep an eye on him because he's going to one day be better than you and maybe even me."

"Your modesty is overwhelming," Stone sarcastically replied. "As for your being better than me, we shall see once the season begins again. You're good mongoose, but not that good!"

The rival surfer gave him a thin smile and shook his head as he walked away, leaving Stone somewhat perplexed about their conversation. "Was that Bonaparte?" Anton excitedly asked from behind him. "He's really, really good and almost as good of a surfer as you Uncle Stoney!"

 _I'm now his Uncle Stoney?_ the fennec fox was startled that Anton had called him that, he had gone from Mister Kole to Uncle Stoney all since the lesson this morning had started. He pondered whether he should correct the other fox but then realized that Anton had just let it slip out.

"I'm sorry Mister Kole," Anton suddenly continued. "I should not have called you that."

"Why did you?" Stone asked as he looked over at the young arctic fox who was blushing with embarrassment.

"Some of the others at the hall tease me about surfing, so I told him you were my uncle," he sniffled. "I know I shouldn't have done that, but I was mad."

"Uncle Stoney…" the fennec fox pretended as if he was deeply thinking about it and then smiled. "So I guess there's no harm with you calling me Uncle Stoney." His words were greeted with a smile and the wagging of Anton's tail.

* * *

Across the globe, she watched as the early morning sun rose in the east. Karen greeted the sunrise with a sip from yet another cup of coffee. Her new job with the corporate office had taken her away from the hotel where she had worked all her career and now she was traveling too much, but the pay was much better. "Why are you knocking yourself out like this?" she muttered to herself as she looked out the window and to the east, almost hoping in vain to see the blue sea from this foreign city's vast downtown. At first, she found her new job rewarding, taking off to one place after another to observe and report on one of the chains many worldwide hotels and resorts, but she missed Stone and the sea.

"Look I have plenty of money now that the treasure has been sold off," her lover had called to her as she dressed to leave on her latest trip. She looked over at Stone, who was still in the bed propped up on the pillows with his light tan bare chest showing. "I mean we're not filthy rich like I hoped, but a few million is more than enough to live on comfortably."

"Stone you don't have any insurance or even medical coverage except what the city provides," she replied with a shake of her head. "Besides I like my job."

"You're going to be gone for another two weeks," he complained. "That's like forever!"

"You know you could travel with me and see all kinds of exotic places?" she added with a smile.

"But I'm training for the upcoming qualification rounds," he objected. "Do you want me to give up surfing?"

"No, I would never ask you to do that!" she softy sighed. Pulling on her blue blazer, she walked over to the bed and kissed him. "I'll be back before you know it Stoney."

Sipping her coffee again she stood and stretched. Since the winter holiday, she had been traveling many more days than she stayed home. Absently her paw twisted the blue diamond engagement ring, a gift that a charming ghostly pirate named Jack Sparrow had given to Stoney the night they battled the Voodoo Queen and her undead zombie minions. A few days later, Stone had knelt where the beach met the sea to propose to her while they were on Saint Sylvester's Island. "Why can't he give up surfing to be with me?" she growled softly. Then she remembered why she had fallen in love with Stone in the first place, he was a rogue of a fox with a surfboard. Her ears flattened when she also thought of Anton, the young fox pup who Stone was mentoring, the little guy had lost his entire family and now Stone was all he had left. Sitting back at the desk, she opened her laptop and returned to what she did best…her work.


	7. The Bad Son

**Chapter 7: The Bad Son**

* * *

Finnick looked miserable and it wasn't because of his current living situation, but because he was losing his battle today with his addiction to smoking and that made him grouchy…not that the little fox wasn't usually acting somewhat grouchy. "So you've moved in with Susan?" the taller red fox in the dark blue police uniform asked as he reached over and sipped from his glass of ice tea. The small diner was busy with the lunchtime crowd and the officer leaned back as he looked around with the practiced eye of a hustler turned cop at the other patrons. There was an elderly armadillo was with what looked like her grandchildren, a couple of teen hyenas were both too engrossed in their cell phones to talk with each other, and a few businessmammals talking as they ate. There was nothing looked out of the ordinary, except for the middle-aged hustler in the blue bowling shirt sitting across the table from him.

"It saves me from driving back and forth," the smaller fox in answered in his usual deep voice. "I never knew until now how nice it is to wake up in someone's arms every morning."

"She still won't marry you, will she Little Toot Toot?" Nick snickered as he picked up a fry and popped it into his mouth. "I guess she wants to be able to evict your mangy butt when she gets tired of you."

"Look who's talking Wilde, how long will it take until the bunny gets tired of you?" Finn gaffed as he shoved his empty plate aside. The large fox couldn't help but smile as his friend's paw reached for the package of cigarettes that wasn't there. Realizing what he was doing, the other fox frowned as he put his paw on the table. "And stop calling me that name!"

"Smoking is a tough habit to break by going cold turkey," Nick offered. "I'm glad you didn't let me take up smoking as a regular habit. Just a celebratory cigar now and then was more than enough, although I did sneak a smoke or two from your packets when I was younger."

"Ha, I remember when I bought you your first cigar! I bought the cheapest and smelliest one I could get and you still almost smoked the whole thing."

"Your memory is going on you in your old age. That was Honey, she smoked the whole nasty thing but you know how badgers are? I took a few puffs and then puked, that's why I never really smoked."

"So when are you and the bunny…I mean Judy going to get hitched?" Finn asked as he took a swallow of his tea and let out a small belch.

"Classy as usual, fox," Nick commented as he rolled his eyes at his friend. "Sometime next year after we both get another week's vacation, we are saving up for a honeymoon in Pawaii."

"You should have taken the cash that Stone offered you," the smaller fox replied. Then he held his paw up before Nick could answer. "Yeah, both Susie and I turned him down too! In fact, no one took him up on his offer to share the treasure, he's got very good friends."

"He's a good kit," the red fox added as he reached for the bill. "My treat."

"Nick," Finn suddenly called out as the larger fox was beginning to stand. "Nick, have you heard anything about Storm since he got out of prison?"

"No buddy," Nick lied as he looked down at his old friend. "No one has seen or heard from him since he got out."

"Oh…" the smaller fox gave out a small sighed as he sadly glanced down at the table before his ears shot up and he looked up at the red fox with hope in his eyes. "Well, when it comes to Storm, no news is good news right?"

"Sure Finn," Nick agreed as he stood up and walked towards the cashier.

* * *

Across town, Storm Kole stepped back into the shadows as the two large cats came out of the back of the restaurant. Tommy was licking something off his paw and the fox frowned when he realized it was fresh blood. The two tigers had been sent to punish the restaurant's owner, a portly boar for complaining about paying his monthly protection racket. As the two tigers walked past him, he stepped out and commented, "You were only supposed to rough him up some, not cut him like that."

"Look who's telling us how to do our job?" the tiger named Tony laughed as he kicked at the smaller fox, causing Storm to scurry out of the blow's way.

Before he knew it, Tommy had snatched him up and slammed him against the alley's brick wall. The tiger's fangs showed as he leaned closer to the helpless fox's face and hissed. "Are you going to squeal on us fox?" Storm tried to show no emotion as the larger cat reached up and ran his other paw along the fox's ear, a claw cut the sensitive inside of his large ear causing blood to trickle down onto his suit jacket. In disgust, the cat dropped him onto the ground and kicked him.

"Squeal! That's a good one!" Tony gaffed out as the two tigers walked away leaving the fox balled up in pain. "That pig was squealing really good when you sliced him!"

Looking up he watched while the two tigers walk away laughing as they made fun of the poor boar that they had hurt earlier before he climbed up from the ground and went into a local pharmacy to get something to stop the bleeding. Finally with his ear bandaged and his paws shoved deep in his pockets, he made his way towards the lagoon and looked across the waters at the villa owned by Salazar. Like all the villas along the lagoon, Salazar's was made from tan stucco clay with gold and silver trim around the tall columns. With a sigh, he turned away and walked down the maze of streets that led to a nondescript building tucked away in the business district.

The fox hesitated before pounding on the doorway which was in front of him and smiled as he saw familiar eyes looking down at him from a peek hole. With a slight creak, the door opened to let him inside and he looked around at the insides of the familiar bordello. The walls were painted a rich red and draped with colorful silk hangings illustrating various mammals mating. The carpet was deep and almost purple in its hue and the teak sofas, with their velvety pillows, that lined the walls were empty as no one was waiting this time of day. An almost naked young looking ibex buck dressed only in silk scarfs peeked around the corner and seeing it was only the fox, he quickly disappeared down a hallway. "She not here," a voice called out and he looked up an elderly she-goat dressed in a rich royal blue robe with gold trim around the neck and sleeves. She was the manager of the establishment and went only by the name Madam, in her hoofs she was carrying a silver tray with a glass of mint tea and a crystal bowl of dried figs.

"When will she be back?" he asked as he sat down on one of the small sofas and accepted the glass of cold tea. Then he saw the frown on Madam's face as she sadly looked down at him before setting the tea down. He rose to his feet. "Where is she, where is Jasmine?"

"He sold her Storm, sold her contract to the Rainforest Syndicate," the goat answered as she knelt on a pillow so she was closer to his height. "They wanted someone more exotic for their customers. Our master sold her and several of the more popular ladies this morning."

"He's not my master!" the fox angrily snapped before he realized the danger in what he had just said. His ear's drooped before he quickly added, "I mean he's the boss of course, but she is not a slave to be bought and sold."

"But she is his property and in all practical purposes we all are," the madam sighed. "She is gone, but there are others here for you to enjoy."

"Not tonight," the fox muttered as he picked up the glass of tea and handed it back to the kneeling goat with a cautious bow. "Not tonight, but thank you."

The kneeling goat watched as the small fox shoved his paws into his suit pockets and seemingly casually walked out of the room. "May the Bright One watch over and protect you Storm Kole," she whispered as she heard the outside door creak open.

The guards stopped him as he entered the villa and he was quickly escorted to Salazar's meeting hall. The camel was standing at a table and listening to several weasels who were showing him some blueprints, at the sight of the fox he sent them scurrying into another room. "So my wayward child, you have returned from your mission?" the camel asked as he waved him closer to the table and reached over with his hoof to tenderly touch the bandage on the fox's ear. "The T-Brothers said you were being insolent, but then again they are known to be liars are they not?"

"As you say, Sidi," the fox answered without emotion as he looked up at the much larger robed mammal.

"As I say, little one," the camel chuckled and reached over to a silver tray stacked with malban and handed one to the fox.

Storm held the sticky candy made with dates and pistachio before he sat it down on the table.

"You turned down my treat?" Salazar inquired in surprise as he looked down at the candy.

"I'm sorry Sidi, but it is such a large chewy piece of candy and I have such a small pointed mouth which is not made for such delicacies," the little fox replied. "With your permission, may I withdraw and have a nurse treat my careless injury properly."

The camel frowned down at the candy sitting on the table again and then over at the two weasels waiting in the other room. "Of course my child," he replied and waved his hoof indicating the conversation was finished.

Stone stepped out of the room and relaxed for only a moment before he saw the tall thin camel in tan robes waiting for him. "You should have taken his treat," the camel named Abel said in a deep voice. "You are lucky he didn't take that as an insult."

"No insult was intended…" Storm began to reply.

"She's gone fox, just let it be!" the thin camel snapped out, cutting off the remainder of the fox's words. "We have plenty of whores, pick one and I'm sure in time you will forget her!"

Storm looked up at the thin camel who towered over him, Abel was Salazar's cousin and his consigliere or advisor. Unlike the boss, Abel was a bit more reasonable in his approach to others. The small fox summoned up his courage before speaking, "I've got the money to buy her back, may I have your permission to do so?"

"Why are you so interested in her?" the camel replied as he sat down on a large satin floor pillow, carefully tucking his long robe under his legs. "Besides the deal is done and I doubt our friends, if you can call them that, would be interested in your offer. No…it could be seen as a sign of weakness and we won't have that!"

"Fine!" Storm growled as he turned to leave.

"Fox, the answer is NO!" Abel yelled after him. "Don't be dumb, it will kill you!"

The sale of a prostitute's contract and hence the sale of the prostitute was not a common practice in the city's illegal trade, but it did exist. In many ways, the contacts made the girls or boys slaves to their owner's whims. The only major crime family which refused the practice was the Northern Mob led by the enigmatic Mister Big. North of the Great Wall, prostitutes were treated as contract employees and even had some benefits, such as healthcare. Their careers also did not carry the same social stigma among the mammals of the north.

As Storm stepped out into the bright sunshine, he pulled out a pair of dark blue sunglasses and slipped them over his eyes. A flock of pigeons scattered as the fox began to walk through the cool green garden with his paws shoved deep into his pockets as he became lost deep into his own thoughts. For the last eight years, he had served Salazar faithfully, including spending four of those years in jail under a ten-year sentence. Now out on probation, he was still venerable to the whims of the courts as much as those of the camel. _Tomorrow,_ he reminded himself. _Tomorrow I will have to do my song and dance for my probation officer to convince her I have a legit job._

He stopped and stared at the lagoon's blue waters and his thoughts turned from his problems back to Jasmine. Her smile and bright brown eyes, which shone with happiness when they talked in her chambers after they made love, his head in her lap and her paw gently running down his ear. "Jasmine, I'm sorry," he whispered. "I don't know what I can do?" As he reached for his cigarettes, he paused and his paw dropped to his side when he remembered how she used to badger him about quitting. It was then that he suddenly realized that he was in love with the vixen. "Storm Kole you are an idiot!" he cursed out loud.


	8. The Good Son

**Chapter 8: The Good Son**

* * *

 **The surfing lessons continue.**

* * *

Karen was bone tired from her travels as she answered her cell phone for the umpteenth time before boarding the flight back to Zootopia. "I can't," the sand cat sighed out to the caller. "I promised Stone that I would be gone for only two weeks and now it's been six…" She listened to the caller for a few moments and then frowned at herself as she answered his question. "Two more days and that's all, then I have to go home! We still need to plan our wedding!" She rolled her eyes and smiled at the caller's reply. "No Bert, that isn't something you can do on Muzzeltime!" Hanging up she looked down at her cell phone in despair because now she had to break it to her fiancée that she wasn't coming home yet again as promised.

Her call to the fox went unanswered because he was at the beach with Anton again. Stone looked over toward the shoreline where the young arctic fox was playing in the sand with an equally young hippo calf named Stewart. Both were being watched over by the calf's father, a huge muscular former professional wrestler who once called himself Mvubu the Mangler. "So Stone, when is Karen returning?" a slim meerkat in a red swimsuit asked as he floated on his surfboard next to the fox. "I mean she's been gone at least a zillion days this time."

The fennec fox in the blue shorts and black rash guard shirt looked over at his friend Reggie, the meekat was being chatty again today. "Six weeks, Reggie, it has only been six weeks."

"A long time for you not to have female companionship, if you know what I mean?" the meerkat laughed as they bobbed above another wave's swell.

"Yeah dude, I know what you mean but she's on her way home even as we speak," the fox replied with a sigh as he paddled closer to the shore where the waves began to break.

"That was a good one," Reggie observed about the wave that had just passed them by as he paddled closer to the fox.

"It's not the one I want!" the fox yelled back as he allowed yet another wave to pass them and then tensing up, he began to paddle faster with his paws as the next wave began to swell. "This one is!" It was larger, faster and more powerful. The fox was amped as he caught the wave just right, ripping down the face of it as it became hollow before breaking. The fox balanced on his board as he shot through the wave's tube, his left paw reaching out and caressing the side of the wall of water. Shooting out of the collapsing barrel and over the lip, the fox gained air as he rotated and then rode backwards on his board down the remainder of the wave.

Everyone had stopped to watch the fox as he and his board danced upon the water. "That's why he's the champ," Mister Mvudu said to the two boys as he towered above them.

A few minutes later Reggie joined him on the shoreline. "How do you do that?" the meerkat asked.

"Do what?" the grinning fox replied as he shook himself off.

"Know! You always seem to know when the perfect wave is coming," Reggie continued as he pointed at the surf.

"I just know," Stone chuckled as he picked up his board and began to walk towards Anton who excitedly had picked up his own small board. "She tells me."

"Oh we're back to the sea talking to you again!" the meerkat dramatically scoffed. "You are always talking to the sea, blah…blah…blah."

"No, the sea talks to me," Stone replied as he sat his board down and reached for a bar of wax, he paused and frowned. "She might be talking to you too, but you're too busy yapping and not listening."

"I'm at a disadvantage, I have much smaller ears!" Reggie laughed as he pointed to his head. Then looking at the frown that the fox was giving his board, he asked. "So what's wrong Stoney?"

The fox ran his paw over the board's surface and sighed, "I think it's time that Anton learns how to remove an old wax job and start anew."

The meekat grabbed a bottle of water to drink from his cooler while he watched his friend carry his board towards the boardwalk with the young arctic puppy running right beside him.

"Where are they going now?" Mister Mvudu asked as he joined the meerkat.

"Over to the Surf Shop to use their heaters to melt and scrape off his board's wax before he recoats it again," Reggie answered. "In the summer, we just let the sun melt the wax and scrape, but it's still a bit cold and overcast today."

As the two foxes entered the Surf Shop, a thin wolf dressed in a tee-shirt with the shop's logo and a pair of wrinkled black jeans looked up from behind the register with a smile. "Sandfly!" Anton excitedly called out as he ran to hug the timber wolf, who picked him up and twirled him around.

"Hey, brah!" Stone called out. "Can I use the shop to clean up my board?"

"You know where everything is in back, help yourself Stoney," the wolf answered as he placed the young arctic fox pup back on the floor.

Anton quickly ran to catch with the Stone wile the older fox set his board across a pair of sawhorses. Turning on one of the heaters, Stone allowed the hot air to gently flow over the top of the board and when it became gloppy enough, he used his wax comb to scrape the off the board. "You remember when we first waxed your new board?" he asked the younger fox and Anton nodded. "We need to scrape everything off from the deck and rails."

It took a few minutes for the fox to scrape the wax and dispose of it in a recycle bin. Then leaning over to look at the board in the light, he pointed out to Anton that there still was a thin layer of wax left behind. "How do you get that off?" the arctic fox asked. "Do you have to scrape closer?"

"The easiest way is to use a cleaning product to wipe it off," Stone replied as he reached over for a cloth and a bottle of cleaner and after a few minutes he was done.

"Just like new!" Anton happily proclaimed as he admired his tutor's yellow and red hybrid board.

"Now what do we do?" the fennec fox chuckled as he stepped back and reached up to ruffle the other fox's fur between his ears. Even at his young age the young puppy was growing like a weed and had almost grown as tall as Stone.

"We wax her up again!" the younger fox joyfully barked out.

"We wax her up again," Stone chuckled in agreement as he reached for a bar of basecoat wax.

"Uncle Stoney, Reggie applies his wax in a circular motion and you usually do it back and forth, which is correct?" Anton suddenly asked as the fox was reaching for some topcoat wax.

"I apply it using crisis cross strokes," Stone answered. "That's just my preference. Reggie likes to do it the other way because he feels that he gets a better grip with his paws that way. Cooper always did his up and down, but he has big foot paws…enormous foot paws!" That statement caused Anton to begin giggling.

After we finish with the wax, what do we do next?" Stone added as he looked over at the other fox.

"I don't know?" Anton replied as he looked around for something else that they should be doing.

"Surf." the older fox laughed.

After about an hour of lessons, Anton's attention wandered and he took off down the beach playing with Stewart. "He's looking good out there for such a young puppy," Reggie commented as they left the young fox playing with the larger hippo calf under the watchful eyes of Stewart's father Mister Mvudu. "You just can't keep his attention that long can you?"

"He's only seven and needs time to play with his friends," Stone chuckled as they entered the bathhouse. "I didn't have many friends when I was his age because we were shuffled around so much, but at least I had Stormy." The fox's ears flattened as he thought about his missing brother.

Reggie shook his head, but for once stayed silent as he watched his friend and rival musing about something as he went to his locker. The meerkat's ears shot up when he heard the fox slam his phone down and utter a curse. "Everything okay Stoney?" Reggie asked as he looked over, the fox had his head resting on the metal locker's door.

"It's Karen, they sent her to another damn hotel and she won't be home for another two or three days," Stone sighed. "This is getting ridiculous!"

"Well she did say she would have to travel a lot," the meerkat offered but went silent again when he saw the look in the fox's eyes before the Stone grabbed his towel and walked towards the shower. When he heard the water running, Reggie grabbed up his own phone and slipped outside before making his call. "Hey Cooper, what are you doing for dinner tonight?" the meerkat asked the wallaby when he answered. "You think you should find time to come over to The Strand tonight …I think Stoney needs his best friend to visit?"


	9. Three Foxes

**Chapter 9: Three Foxes**

* * *

 **Storm makes a decision as Cooper visits Stone and Anton is bullied.**

* * *

As Storm stepped into his room at the villa and looked around at all the luxurious finery that surrounded him, he realized that all this opulence was purchased with the ill-gotten riches stolen or taken from others and for once it made him sick. Jasmine was one of those victims, along with that poor innocent kit fox vixen and her boss, and also the restaurant owner who had been so brutalized by the T-Brothers…blood money taken by Salazar and his cronies. He pulled off his suit jacket and tossed it onto his bed as he looked at himself in the mirror, cronies such as himself.

"Why are you doing this?" he whispered to his image. "The money? Loyalty to the mob?" looking down, he ran a claw across the table that the mirror was perched upon. "Fear?" Sitting down on a chair, he leaned over and clasped his paws together as he thought about the contract which the corrupt camel held for the murder of his father, a fox who he never forgave for his abandonment of both he and his brother. Shifting, he looked up at the ceiling and sighed as he remembered the last time he and Stone spoke.

"He didn't even know we were even alive Storm!" his brother pleaded. His littermate was sitting on a bench on the other side of the thick Plexiglas window at the prison. "You can't hold that against him."

"Stop defending him Stone!" he angrily snapped back. "He abandoned us and he never loved either one of us, so quit defending him!"

"Mom says she told him we weren't his, but another fox's babies," the thinner fox answered. "Then she had everyone tell him she died in childbirth and changed her name."

"Tell him one thing for me brother," he said as he stood up and pressed his paw onto the glass. "When I get out of here, I'm going to kill him!"

"You don't mean that!" Stone replied as he stood and pressed his paw on the opposite side of the glass.

"Keep safe brother," he sighed before turning his back on the other fox and walking toward the guard.

His ears flicked when his brother called back, "Keep safe too Stormy!"

Leaning back in the chair he sighed again as he contemplated what his brother had said, could he really hold his father responsible for abandoning them if he didn't even know they were alive or was he just being stubborn and holding onto his childish disappointment? His thoughts strayed to another fennec fox as he pondered going into the Rainforest to buy back Jasmine's contract. Would they even sell her to him and did he have the money to buy her back? What would Salazar do if he found out?

Stripping off the remainder of his suit and hanging it up, he slipped into a pair of jeans and a black long-sleeved shirt. Sitting down on the bed he decided to take the chance at least see if she was safe, he just had to wait for the right time to slip out of the villa again.

* * *

Stone Kole stood at the subway station and looked over at the darkening sky, he was returning from taking Anton back to the orphanage. Despite reassurances from the staff, the surfer still had a nagging feeling that something just wasn't right. Every time he took the young arctic fox back to the huge mansion, it was as if the joy was sucked from the young pup. He tried to get Anton to talk about what was going on and suspected that someone or maybe a group of other orphans were bullying the younger fox, but Anton would only say that everything was fine.

As he stepped over towards the bus station, he was so deep in his own thoughts that he didn't notice the black roadster that squealed up to the curb and he jumped in surprise when the driver punched the horn. "G'day mate, you foxes are supposed to be hard to sneak up upon," the wallaby behind the wheel called out. "You're slipping mate!"

Stone looked up and was surprised to see Cooper. "I didn't know they let you drive brah?" he yelled back to the hopper.

"Oy fox! Get in before they give me a ticket!" his best friend called out. Stone grinned at him as he opened the passenger's door and climbed into the seat.

"Sweet ride dude, did you steal it?" the fox laughed as with a loud vroom, the wallaby quickly drove the car out of the parking lot and down the road towards the beach.

"It's my dad's and no I did not steal it, just borrowed it for the bloody evening," Cooper grunted as they zoomed past a group of slower cars.

"You do have a driver's license?" Stone nervously asked as the car came to a screeching stop at a red light.

"Got it in a box of Lucky Chomps!" the wallaby laughed. "I was just in town and thought you could do with some company."

"You live over near Hyenahurst, you're always in town," the fox grunted as the car took off a little too fast when the light turned green. "Are you sure you really have a driver's license?"

"Don't be a bloody yabbo mate!" Cooper laughed as he pulled into the parking lot of a popular bar and parked. "Reggie was concerned about you and so I came running…well hopping."

"I'm fine Cooper," Stone huffed as he followed the wallaby through the doors and towards the bar.

"What did I say about being a yabbo?" the wallaby sighed as he pulled himself up onto a chair at a table.

In the next few hours, Cooper just listened as Stone went from being fine to unloading about everything from Karen's travel, his worry about Anton, and his concerns for Storm.

"So Karen is traveling the world and you are just sitting on the beach in Zootopia?" the wallaby snorted. "It seems to me that I would be traveling with her, that way I could see something besides this city and Seaside, especially if someone else is paying the bloody tab."

"But what about my surfing?" Stone whined out to his unimpressed friend.

"There are other places to surf, go follow the endless summer mate," Cooper sighed. "Make love to your shelia in all those exotic places, there is more to life than the beaches. You've won the surfing championship four times Stoney! Maybe it's time to go out on top while young and not when you are a tired old coot."

Stone stared down at his drink. "I'm worried about Anton too."

"You've known this grommet, for only a few bloody months?" the wallaby asked as he reached over and took his friend's paw in his own.

"He's just so alone, I feel that I am the only one who cares for him," Stone sighed as he squeezed Cooper's paw. "I know he's in a good orphanage, but he's there by himself. At least growing up I had mom and Stormy."

"And Storm has disappeared again?" Cooper sighed as he sat back in the chair, before hopping out of the chair and looking around the bar. "It's too noisy in here mate, let's go somewhere where you can think."

They drove down to The Strand and walked out onto the beach, away from the noise of the Carnival and all the tourists on the Boardwalk. Sitting in the sand near where the sea crashed down upon the shore, the two friends talked just like they used to do.

* * *

Wham! The young fox grunted in pain as the much larger and older muskox calf pushed him against the wall. "Are you going to cry little furball?" his tormentor ferociously chuckled. "Cry like a little baby again?"

Anton fought the tears welling up in his eyes as he looked down at the floor, he was afraid to look up at the bully. "No…" he began to sniffle out before the calf shoved him hard again into the wall.

"You are nothing but pelt trash, white-furred trash!" the muskox snorted as he shoved the much smaller animal into the wall yet once again and then reached down with a hoof and grabbed the white fluffy tail before giving it a merciless yank, causing the fox to frantically yelp in pain. "Aw, did I hurt you?"

His sarcastic question was answered by a growl as Anton turned to face his tormentor with a snarl and flashing claws, which tore upwards across the muskox's face. "Ow!" the larger mammal cried out as his hoofs covered his bloody face. Tears formed in his eyes as he ran yelling for an adult, screaming that Anton had attacked him and tried to bite him.

They found the small fox curled up on the hallway floor crying as he gingerly held his tail and quickly led him to the supervisor's office. "The law is very specific that if a predator attacks any prey animal, Child Services must be notified immediately," the orphanage's supervisor sighed as he looked over at the young fox.

"Have you seen his tail?" the nurse snapped back, the white-tailed deer doe in the white medical smock had finished bandaging the fox's tail. "He needs to go to the hospital and have that looked at, it may be broken."

"We will let Child Services handle that now," the supervisor grunted.

The nurse watched the large moose walk away and didn't hesitate as she dug around in her purse for her cell phone, scrolling down the list until she found the phone number she was looking for and then made the call.

Stone was laughing at something which Cooper had said about Billy when his phone rang, he looked at the screen to see who was calling, hoping it was Karen but was surprised it was the nurse at the orphanage. "Is Anton okay?" he answered.

Cooper watched as his friend's ears shot up and then suddenly go flat as he talked on the phone. "Child Services…attacked a muskox?...why would they do that?"

The wallaby watched as the fox stood and looked around with wide panicked eyes as he hung up. "Stoney what's going on mate?" he asked as he too stood up.

"I've got to get to Tundratown," the fox answered as he looked around. "Anton has been in a fight and clawed a prey mammal. Child Services has been called. I need to get there now!"

"Well, it's a good thing someone has a car," Cooper called out over his shoulder as he began to hop towards the parking lot. "Come on mate, I'll drive you!"

Cooper wheeled the sports car through the traffic and towards the Great Wall. "I hope they've plowed the roads, I've never driven on ice before!" The wallaby was lucky because the roads were clear and they finally arrived at the huge orphanage. Stone shuddered as he caught sight of the snow-covered and somewhat foreboding mansion.

"Well we will have to take him to Juvenile until we can have an inquiry into the assault," the Child Services worker huffed as she looked over at Anton. "I don't have anywhere else I can put him tonight since he's a fox."

"He needs to have that tail looked at tonight!" the nurse said for the sixth time much to the annoyance of the director and the agent. "Anton needs to go to the hospital."

The fat sow was about to reply when they saw that Stone had arrived, with Cooper hopping behind him. "Thank the stars you've arrived Mr. Kole!" the nurse called out as he entered into the building.

Stone's eyes changed from worry to anger when he saw the white fox crying in the bed. "What the hell happened?" he calmly asked, although his tone borderlined that of a snarl.

"Anton attacked one of the other orphans," the moose replied as he moved to stop the fox from coming any closer. "Child Services is here to determine what to do with him until we can investigate in the morning."

"What do you mean by that?" the tan fox snapped back at the moose. "He looks hurt!"

"I will take him down to Juvenile and they can look at his tail there," the caseworker replied.

"So are both boys going to Juvenile or just the fox?" Cooper suddenly asked. "I only see Anton in here with everyone, where is the other boy?"

"He was treated and released back to his room," the sow replied. "Now come on Anton, let's get your things together."

"He's not going anywhere, except to the bloody emergency room," Cooper interjected as he thumped past the social worker and sat down on the bed. "Some snooker almost yanked his bloody tail off!"

Stone slipped by the now angry sow and also sat down on the bed, taking Anton's head into his lap. The young fox began crying again, "He pushed me…shoved me into the wall and it hurt and then pulled my tail real hard while laughing. It hurt bad and I clawed him to keep him from hurting me again," the fox sobbed out as he clung to the fennec fox. "I didn't mean to be bad!"

"Shhh!" Stone said as he stroked the young fox's ears. "Let's go get that tail looked at, okay buddy?"

The social worker glowered at him. "He's not going anywhere but Juvenile until the office opens in the morning."

"He's going to the bloody hospital," Cooper interjected as he stood between the sow and the two foxes.

"I'm calling the cops!" the sow stated.

"You bloody well do that!" the wallaby challenged. "I'm calling my family attorney."

The social worker looked over at the two foxes and then back at the angry hopper. "Fine we'll go to the emergency room and then Juvenile," she snorted.


	10. Rescues

**Chapter 10: Rescues**

* * *

 **Stoney saves the day and Stormy…well things don't turn out the way he expected.**

* * *

Stone held the little white fox's paw as the seven-year-old slept in the hospital bed, recuperating from the local anesthetic which the emergency room doctor gave Anton when he arrived at the hospital. The tall moose in the white medical gown was not happy that they had not taken the little fox immediately to the hospital, "He as an avulsion injury which was caused by his tail being pulled with great force, we managed to suture the tear but he will need to be observed closely over the next twelve hours to ensure he can defecate and urinate without issues," he warned the social worker. They spoke quietly in the hallway, but Stone could hear them anyways with his large tan ears. "Also, his bandage will need to be changed at least four times a day and he must only lay on his sides."

"Where am I going to put him?" the sow fretted as she spoke to someone on her phone after the doctor left. "I can't take him back to the orphanage or to Juvenile like this!"

The tan fox looked over at the young sleeping fox and shook his head, he couldn't let them throw the little tyke into Juvenile or ship him off to the Rainforest District. He walked towards the hospital room's window and pulled out his cell phone, doing the only thing he could think of and that was to call his mother. Susan had met Anton several times and adored the little puppy, she listened to what her son told her and finally handed the phone to his father Finn who told him that he would make a few calls to see what could be done.

It didn't take too long before he was surprised to hear from Judy Hopps, who told him that everything was taken care of and that Anton was being moved to a private clinic until his tail was healed. A few minutes later the social worker charged into the room in a foul mood. "Who have you been talking to?" she demanded as the angry sow stood over him. "I got a call from my supervisor who was not happy to be woken up at two in the morning about... well, of all things a damn fox!"

Stone's ears went erect and he tried not to growl back, "What do you mean by of all things a damn fox?" he snapped back. "That is a bigoted thing to say! I made of few phone calls to find someplace that will take care of Anton, he obviously cannot go with you!"

The pig was so mad that she snorted, but their arguing drew the attention of the head nurse who quickly shooed them out of the room and down the hallway. He was surprised to find that Cooper was still sprawled out on the waiting room couch.

Their bickering was interrupted when a huge white polar bear in a black suit entered the room and looked down at the three smaller mammals, dismissing the sow and wallaby outright, he turned his attention to the little fox. "Your name is Kole, da?" he asked with a heavy accent.

"Yes," Stone replied as he fought from staring at the large muscular bear in awe. "How may I help you?"

"We are here for Anton," the bear grunted and when the sow looked like she was going to object, he handed her a small envelope.

The social worker looked the letter inside over and huffed as she threw her bag onto her shoulder and stormed away.

Both Stone and Cooper looked at each other in wonder. "Come on ladies!" the bear called down the hallway and two attractive arctic vixens in white and blue medical technician uniforms wheeled a small gurney down the hallway.

Within a few minutes, the little fox was transferred onto the gurney and rolled down the hallway towards the awaiting ambulance as the fox and wallaby followed behind. Carefully the vixens rolled the still groggy, but excited pup, aboard the vehicle. One of the vixens began talking to Anton in a language that Stone didn't understand, but the young fox was happily grinning at what she said.

"Cute pup!" the huge bear grumbled as he looked down at Stone. "Who messed up his tail?"

"Another older kit," Stone cautiously answered the large bear's question.

"Too bad, but I don't rough up kits," the bear sighed.

There was more conversation between Anton and the vixens before one of them poked her head out of the rear doors and looked him over with an amused smile on her muzzle. "The little darling wants to know if his Uncle Stone is coming?" she asked in a heavily accented voice.

The fox looked over at his friend Cooper and shrugged. "Go on mate, I'm going home to Billy because I am cold," the wallaby laughed as he gave Stone a hug. "Text me when you get to wherever you are going."

"Thanks, brah," Stone replied as he tried to hop up into the back of the ambulance. Suddenly a huge white paw practically sent him flying inside. He turned to face the grinning bear. "Ah…thanks!"

* * *

The stolen navy blue hatchback didn't exactly roar its way down the roadway towards the Rainforest District, it more like prodded its way along the street with the little fox behind the wheel. Storm cast a wary eye out for not only for the police, but also for anyone who might be following him. He stuck to the side streets, even though his drive from Sahara Square to the Rainforest District would be much longer. The route twisted and turned through the suburbs of Hyenahurst and into the mammal made canyons of skyscrapers in downtown Savannah Central.

The fennec fox knew that the residential streets and backroads were not usually covered by traffic cameras, unlike the main roads and highways and so he stuck with these. The car he had stolen was an older model foreign job imported from Amir and did not have a built-in GPS which could be tracked. If things went as planned, he would "return" the car to the Coastal University dormitory parking lot from where he had "borrowed" it before the student who owned it even knew it was missing. He glanced briefly at the backseat and gave a sigh at the mess of trash and school books which were carelessly tossed into the back. "If your mommy and daddy let you have their old car, you can at least keep it clean!" he huffed before returning his gaze to the upcoming tunnel that led into the Great Wall. As the car emerged out of the long tunnel, he fumbled around to find and turn on the windshield wipers as water from the sprinklers hidden in the tall trees above splattered down upon the car.

Storm didn't really care for the Rainforest, he much preferred the hot dry air of Sahara Square and the surrounding district. He once told Jasmine that he wanted to retire one day to a nice condo in the Canyonlands, half-jokingly telling her that he was going to raise bees and sell the honey from a roadside stand just off of Route 66. She giggled at the thought of him being a grey muzzled old fox with his cane as he hobbled down a dusty dirt road. In his heart, Storm really doubted that he would survive to reach retirement and even if he did…well you just didn't just retire from the mob. His ears drooped at the thought of Jasmine, she was the reason that he had slipped out of the villa and surreptitiously made his way into another Family's territory. He knew that he could never rest until he found her and knew she was safe.

Although it was dangerous, he had called in a favor from one of this former prison buddies to locate her and was somewhat relieved to find out that she was in an upscale brothel and not working the streets like a common hooker. He finally found the address that he was looking for, it was a nondescript brown vine-covered stone building down a heavily forested street near the Canals. Parking his car, he grabbed the umbrella he had brought and splashed through the puddles toward the building's entrance. From the corner of his eye, he saw the cameras zooming onto him and knew that he could no longer hide. Wiping a paw on his black shirt one last time, he pressed a button by the door and stepped back. There was a buzz and the door clicked open, pulling on the handle he opened the large door and stepped inside.

The lobby looked like the entrance to any regular office building, it was decorated with marble tiles and had tan painted walls with a lot of chrome furniture, including on the mahogany desk where a very large muscular jaguar wearing a dark blue security officer's uniform was standing and waiting for him to approach. He glared down at the small fox and then grinned at the visitor, "Good evening Mister Kole, I was told to expect you and since we already know who you are and why you are here, I'll dispense with the usual speech that goes we are closed." Handing the dripping umbrella to the big cat, the fox stepped over to be scanned and patted down. Satisfied that the fox carried no weapons, the security guard unlocked a door and opened it to reveal a private elevator. Storm's ears slightly flicked as the guard called out for him to enjoy himself as he stepped into the silvery colored elevator car.

The machine hummed for a few moments as it went downward and he was expecting a dank dark basement room to appear, but instead was somewhat awed at the luxurious room which awaited him. The walls were a rich teak wood carefully polished, the furniture and the large well-stocked bar was painted white and very modern. There were red pillowed booths along the walls, where patrons and their "host or hostesses" were lounging. The carpet was a deep royal burgundy and plush, soft to his feet and he noticed that there was a small but busy roulette table and several colorful old fashioned vintage slot machines. "Would you care for a drink Mister Kole?" a scantily clad beaver asked as she approached him with a glass of Campaign on a silver platter, he nodded his thanks but waved her away as he approached the bar.

"Stormy?" a voice called out to him and he turned to see Jasmine entering the room, he wanted to bust out laughing because instead of her usual silk scarfs she was dressed to look like a nurse with a short white dress, white fishnet stockings and a white cap along with a stethoscope around her neck.

"You look…ah somewhat perverted!" he chuckled as she stepped into his arms. "That's a different look for you."

"It's a very popular fantasy among some of our visitors," she replied and he grinned when she actually blushed. "Now shut up and let's go someplace private."

Jasmine pulled the male fox by his paw down a hallway and into a small private room which was far more luxurious than the one she had at the old brothel. "What are you doing here silly?" she asked as she sat down at the edge of the bed.

He frowned as he looked around the room before he answered her. There was a large bed, several mirrors on the ceilings, and a mahogany wooden closet. Opening the door to the closet, he laughed as he peeked inside and saw an assortment of costumes within. "Kinky," he grunted as he pawed through the clothes, hesitating as he held up a police officer's uniform with handcuffs and then a silky pink teddy with matching angel wings.

"You still haven't answered my question," she sighed as she sashayed over and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Madam told me that they sold your contract," he replied before they kissed. "I was worried about you."

"Oh Stormy, I'm a big girl and can take care of myself," she giggled. "I don't need some male fox to act like a testosterone-driven hero and swoop in to save me. Didn't Madam tell you I agreed to the transaction?"

Storm's muzzle dropped open in surprise. "What?" he finally mumbled out. "I don't understand? Why would you do that?"

"I can make more money here and it's much nicer," she replied as she pulled him to the bed and sat down again. "Plus it gets me away from Salazar."

The male fox sat down next to her and shook his head in disbelief. "I came here to find out what It would cost to buy off your contract…" he began to explain.

"Why would you do that?" she quickly asked. "I could pay out my contract myself at any time, but I don't want to freelance or change jobs. Why did you think that silly?"

He desperately reached for her paws and tightly held them in his as he looked into her soft brown eyes, "I love you and came to take you away from all of this!"

She pulled her paws away and stood up, walking across the room while not looking at him until finally, she turned with a sad look. "Oh Stormy!" she cried out softly. "I didn't know, but I'm so sorry because I don't love you. You're a great guy, really nice, but I already have a girlfriend."

The male fox's ears drooped as he stared up at her, "But…but… Wait! You have a girlfriend?"

"As I said, I like you Stormy but I don't love you," she sighed out.

Storm felt like an absolute idiot and not realizing that in his embarrassment, he had pulled his large ears over his eyes like a little child.

"Come here sweetie," she softly cooed as she sat back down and pulled his head into her lap.

"Well this hasn't turned out the way I imagined it would," he grunted as her paw stroked his forehead. "So I stole a car and drove all the way here for nothing?"

"Gee thanks, now I'm nothing?" she giggled. "But you are here and paying me for my time."

He twisted so he was kneeling on the bed and looked into her eyes, his frown turned into a randy grin. "Well considering what you're wearing, do you want to play doctor?"

"Why Mister Kole, what do you mean by that?" she teased as he leaned over and licked her ear. She giggled until he pushed her back onto the bed.


	11. Fixing What is Broken

**Chapter 11: Fixing What is Broken**

* * *

 **Stone meets one of Anton's guardian angels, while Storm must face a lesser devil.**

* * *

The ambulance belonged to a company named Tundratown Limousines and Stone could not help but wonder why a limo company would own a medical transport vehicle? He also had no idea of where the ambulance going and the pretty arctic vixen in the back with them was somewhat evasive in her answers. Since there were no side windows to look out of and the two small window panels in the back doors were painted over, he couldn't see any landmarks as the truck rumbled along the roadway. He sat in a jump seat next to Anton and listened as the puppy had an animated conversation with the vixen in a language the fennec fox did not understand.

Finally, they came to a halt and Stone's ears shot up as he tried to listen to the conversation outside of the ambulance between the familiar voice of the bear he had met earlier and an equally deep voice. Anton gigged as the two bears laughed and Stone looked back over at the young fox, "What's so funny?"

"They said something funny about your ears Uncle Stone," the white fox laughed.

The vixen quickly added something in her language to the puppy and then looked over at the sand-colored tod and winked. "I said your ears are cute," she translated and gave him a smile. "It's too bad for me you are into cats, da? I saw the video of you two this past summer, running around naked before you punched that reporter."

"Has everyone seen that video?" Stone grumbled as his ears flopped down, causing the vixen to giggle.

"What video?" Anton suddenly asked. "The sisters didn't let me watch the news."

Stone was saved from having to answer when the doors were pulled open and two hulking polar bears in black suits with scowls on their muzzles peered in at them. It took a moment before he realized one of the bears was gently holding a small fashionably dressed female shrew in his open paw.

"Gawd, Judy's right and you are a cutie!' the shrew in the cream-colored knit sweater and black slacks exclaimed, her black fur was piled upon her head in a fashionable hairdo. She shifted into that foreign language as she spoke to the vixen before switching back. "I'm sorry Mister Kole, but Natasha is new to the city and doesn't quite speak the Common Language as well as others. My name is Francine, but everyone calls me Fru Fru, and let me welcome you to our home."

Stone stood up and not knowing how to greet the much small shrew he offered his paw, but the bear's frowned deepened and he quickly lowered it. "Thank you," he replied. "I thought they were taking Anton to a clinic?"

"They have dearie!" the shrew laughed. "Come on let's get out of the way so the girls can take this sweetheart inside."

Stone hopped out of the vehicle and immediately slipped on the icy ground, sending him sprawling into the snow with a surprised "Oof!"

"Are you okay fox?" the bear who stood above him asked as he reached down and gripped him in a huge paw.

"I'm more used to sand and the sea than to ice and snow," the fox sighed as he brushed off his clothes.

"Come inside Mister Kole and we'll get you by the fire where it is warmer," the shrew called out before the bear carrying her ambled his way towards the building's interior.

The fox stopped and craned his neck upwards at the snow and ice-encrusted gray stone mansion before he followed the bear and shrew inside. Once inside, he slipped off his jacket and handed it to a portly warthog in a black tuxedo who spoke to the shrew again in that foreign language. The hallway they were standing in was paneled in rich brown mahogany wood and there were luxurious oriental rugs lining the polished marble floors. Stepping aside, he watched as the two vixens wheeled the gurney with Anton past him and towards another hallway. "Where are they taking him?" Stone asked.

"We have a small clinic for our associates in the back of the building," the shrew answered as the bear carried her into another room.

Stone looked at the other foxes as they disappeared down the hallway before he followed the bear and shrew into what appeared to be a den. The walls were painted a light green and there were several paintings of sunny flower gardens. Stone squinted at one of the paintings, which was of sunflowers that looked very familiar and he shook his head because there was no way it could be an original Vincent van Goat. A bear-sized teak wood desk was along a wall and there was a set of a smaller grouping of mid-century tan cloth-covered spade chairs and small cherry wood table on the desk. Stone watched as the shrew hopped off of the bear's paw and took a seat before he sat down of a much larger version of the chair. Everything in the room was of a modern Northern style. "Thank you for taking Anton in at the clinic," the fox said as he tried to settle comfortably in the chair at the same time keeping an eye on the huge bear who sat down in a chair near the doorway. "I'm sorry if we are making an imposition."

"Don't worry about it Mister Kole," she replied. "Daddy always tries to help out the less fortunate of our community."

"Please call me Stone," he replied. The fox's ears flicked as the bear gave a deep chuckle and he turned to look at the bear and saw that he was looking at something on his large phone. "As I was saying, thank you."

* * *

It was almost morning by the time Storm wheeled the car back into the parking lot in front of the dormitory and frowned to see that the parking spot had another vehicle in it so instead, he picked another spot and left the car. He was long gone by the time its owner finally left the building to attend classes, the chunky muskrat looked around in confusion before turning to his friend he asked, "Dude, where's my car?"

"It's over there dork!" the small thin skunk replied as he pointed over towards the car. "You need to lay off the Lucky Chomps for breakfast because you know what all that sugar does to you."

Across town the small fox sat down upon his bed and rubbed his eyes, it had been a long night. He had just pulled off his shirt and pants and was heading towards the shower when he heard a knock on the door. He carefully opened it to see who was outside and grimaced when he first looked up at the jackal and then across at the grinning cat who was standing behind him. "We come at a bad time Kole?" the cat laughed at the fox in his undershorts. "Abel wants ta see youz mangy tail and he wants youz there now!"

The fox quickly dressed, knowing he still smelled of Jasmine and their mating. He just hoped that the camel's sense of smell wasn't as good as the jackal's who was grinning and snickering as he trailed behind him while they all three approached a large office. The sun hadn't come up and so the room was mostly dark, except for a desk light on the large thin camel's desk. When he saw the fox, Abel frowned as he looked up from his laptop and took off his reading glasses. "So you didn't do as I told you Mister Kole!" the camel sighed as he reached over and poured a small cup of hot mint tea, which he set on the other side of the desk before motioning the small fox to sit in an oversized chair. Looking over at the cat and jackal, he flicked his hoof to let them know it was time for them to leave and the cat frowned as he closed the door behind them.

Storm scrambled up into the chair and tentatively accepted the slightly oversized cup of hot tea, he knew that the camel was not seeking an answer to his question and sat waiting in anticipation for Abel to continue. After a long pause, the mobster continued, "Did I not specifically tell you to stay out of the Rainforest District?"

"You did," Storm admitted. "I went to check on Jasmine to make sure she was okay and not to buy her contract back."

"Even I can smell that you found her," the camel chuckled as he looked down at the computer screen again. "Did you try to negotiate for her contract?"

The fox set his cup down and put his paws in his lap as he looked down at his feet. "No, I did not," he answered as his ears drooped. "She didn't want me to."

"Ah, so the truth comes out," Abel grunted as he clicked away on the keyboard. "So you disobeyed me for nothing, what should I do to punish you?"

Again the fox knew it was a rhetorical question and sat silently looking at the large camel without trying to show any emotion.

"Perhaps finding out that you love someone who does not love you back is punishment enough?" Abel mused. "Affairs of the heart are complicated, but you are young and reckless when it comes to the other sex. Now go and clean yourself up, we are finished here this morning and I have more pressing concerns than having to deal with a lovesick puppy."

* * *

Across town, Jasmine slept curled up on her bed clutching the pillow that still smelled of Storm's musky male scent. She had lied to the tod about her not being in love with him, believing that she had done it for his own good because she knew that he couldn't keep coming over into another mob's territory to see her. Content in her sleep, she dreamt of a small house in the suburbs, of a dashing young tod with a deep voice by her side as they blissfully raised a family together.


	12. Fox Hunt

**Chapter 12: Fox Hunt**

* * *

 **Nick finds out he is going back to Sahara Square after the mob's street hustlers and Stone is tempted to stray.**

* * *

"Wilde!" Captain "Patches" Huntersnout bellowed down the hallway when he saw the lanky red fox. Nick turned to watch as the grizzled one-eyed veteran wolf in the dark blue police polo shirt and matching fatigue pants marched purposely towards him. "If you and Hopps have plans for Friday night, cancel them you're going to be busy."

"Aw come on Cap, I was planning to get my freak down with her," Nick sarcastically replied as he gave the larger one-eyed wolf his best smirk.

"I don't care about your personal perversions fox and one of these days I'm going to smack that smirk off your muzzle!" Huntersnout growled. "As of an hour ago you've been assigned to the K-9 Alpha Team again and we are doing a sweep of the Souq in Sahara Square. We will be undercover, so wear street clothes and don't even think about wearing one of those tacky tropical shirts of yours either!"

The Souq was a weekend evening market that set up in the streets near the huge Palm Hotel and Casino. It was famous for its variety of vendors selling their wares, foods, and spices from temporary stalls. The market attracted not only the locals but also tourists and of course the criminal element.

"Damn, now I have to do laundry," the fox laughed as he snapped his digits in mock agitation. "So what's so important that we're now going after the little guys, the hustlers, and flim-flam crooks?"

"One of the aldermammal's wives got scammed last weekend and now they're whining that we need to do something to clean up the market," the wolf sighed.

"A bunch of wolves sniffing around, even in street clothes isn't going to work," the fox said as he followed the captain towards the breakroom. "We'll stick out like sore thumbs! Everyone will see us coming, except maybe the inexperienced and the dumb. You do know that's coyote and jackal territory, not wolf?"

"I know that, but those yahoos in city hall don't," the captain grunted as he dug around in his pocket for change as they stood in front of the ancient looking coffee vending machine. Finally, Nick passed him a couple of quarters. "Thanks." He grunted as he dropped the coins into the slots. The machine made a menacing cough as a cheap plastic coated cup dropped down and a thick black liquid flowed steadily into it until it was full. "The department is not exactly overrun with yotes and jacks are we?"

Nick winced as he watched the wolf sip the black sludgy brew and shuddered. "Hey Cap, how can you drink that muck?" he finally asked out of curiosity. The fox had tried the coffee once when he first started at the precinct, after which he swore never to touch it again. "You do know that there is a Snarlbucks just down the street and Cindy's Diner across the way?"

"I've been drinking this coffee for over thirty years fox," the wolf answered as he smacked his lips and then reached up to adjust the black patch where his right eye used to be until it was gouged out during a fight with a tiger. "After all those years working in the K-9 Unit, I may be half-blind and have lost most of my taste buds, but my sniffer is still good. I can smell the caffeine on your breath from earlier this morning and that you drank your coffee with some kind of blueberry flavored sweetener again."

"Sometimes you amaze me," the fox said with a genuine grin as he sat down on the other side of the table.

"The canine curse, we smell things before we even see them. You should know that because you are almost one of us, although sometimes you act like you're part cat."

"Nope I'm one hundred percent canid, just ask Judy! Although I will admit I like to pounce sometimes."

"You and your bunny's relationship is not any of my concern."

"I never did thank you for not judging me and Judy like some of the other officers did when our relationship became public. You just treated us like normal despite the suspension, the hearings, the press, and you know all that other junk."

"Stow it Wilde," the wolf grumbled as he held his paw up. "I've been married three times, each time to good she-wolves. Between those marriages, I played the field and I can't claim that I never…ah…let just say I might have strayed out of species a time or two. I can tell you one of my more memorable weekends was with a sexy cougar over in the Canyonlands and I learned to appreciate her feline charms."

Nick was grateful that his fur kept the wolf from seeing that he was blushing.

"Anyways, Friday Night we are meeting at the Sands Hotel at the south end of the market," Huntersnout continued as he stood up and crumpled the now empty cup in his paw. "Casual dress, bring pawcuffs, and you can you can wear your tranquilizer gun in an ankle holster if you can handle one."

"I promise not to poke myself with the dart," the fox replied as he held his paw over his heart.

"You've been known to do it before," the wolf quickly snickered. "Yeah, I heard about it! I'll have Wolford brief you on the details, now back to work before Bogo has our hides." The wolf almost absently waved his paw when the fox gave him a salute before leaving.

* * *

Stone finally got comfortable in the oversized chair in the room where Anton was supposed to be sleeping, but the young fox was wide awake and talkative. He wasn't talking so much to the fennec fox as he was to the gray fox vixen who came in to help him get settled. She didn't seem to speak that language that the others did, but that didn't stop the puppy from talking to her anyways. "You smell really good!" Anton said as she reached over to help him adjust the hospital-style bed.

The vixen smiled and thanked him for his compliment and then blushed as she looked over at the older fox in the chair. Yeah, she smelled really…really good Stone realized. Too good for the older tod to get comfortable as he tried not to let her know he was sniffing her scent, for her it was that time of the year.

She glanced over at him again and bit her lower lip in a seductive manner, trying to act like she didn't seem to realize she was doing it, but he knew better. The vixen was very cute with her soft brown eyes and her tannish to gray fluffy tail. Stone let out a small groan and tried to look away, but his ears flicked as she walked around. "It's going to be a long night," he softly sighed to himself.

"I'm sorry Mister Kole, did you ask me something?" the nurse said as she walked even closer to him. He couldn't keep his nose from twitching and glanced over at the young arctic fox, who was oblivious to what was going on as he read a picture book that the vixen had given him. Anton was not in the least bit fazed by her sweet musky feminine scent since he was not even close to going through puberty, thank the gods.

"Nope, I'm fine!" Stone spoke up as he tried to discretely, but failed, to move a pillow onto his lap in a desperate effort to hide his discomfort.

He about jumped out of the chair when he heard Anton say something, "W…w…what?" he stammered out as he looked over at the younger fox while trying not to cover his face with his ears in embarrassment.

"When do you think Miss Karen is coming home?" Anton asked again.

The young fox's question hit him like a bucket of cold water, washing away all temptations about the vixen away. "Soon little dude, I hope real soon," he answered as he watched the now frowning vixen leaving the room.

"I hope so too because I really miss her," the younger fox yawned. "Can you read me a story?"

The older fox smiled as he hopped out of the chair and climbed into the bed next to Anton, taking the picture book he began to read it out loud until the little fox fell asleep.

Climbing down off the bed, Stone paused when he heard someone at the door and looked up to see a massive polar bear dressed in a black jogging suit watching him. "You are good to him, da?" the bear tried to quietly ask in a deep accented rumble. "He needs someone to care for him."

"I suppose," Stone whispered back. "Everyone needs family, right?"

"You should be his family," the bear simply answered before he disappeared down the hallway.

The fox's ears drooped and his muzzle fell open when he realized that maybe the big bear was right, but was he ready to raise a child and what would Karen say?


	13. A Lesson to be Taught

**Chapter 13: A Lesson to be Taught**

* * *

 **Things don't go well for the K-9 Unit and Salazar decides that there has to be retribution for Nick being there.**

* * *

Storm Kole leaned over and watched the crowd as they mingled in the market below, he had slept most of the day undisturbed only to awaken in time for a late lunch and enjoyed his light meal unbothered by either of the T-Brothers or that pesky duo of the tomcat and jackal. Later that afternoon, he was summoned by Salazar and informed that he would stake out the Souq, being one of several eyes and ears that the mob had to watch for trouble and locating easy marks for their street-level scams and thieves. It always amazed him how quickly the merchants could erect their temporary stalls and efficiently organize their wares for sale before night came. His ears lifted as he heard the sound of seductive music and glanced over to watch a troupe of female sand cats in brightly colored silk veils dancing on a makeshift stage to the rhythmic tune played by the robed musicians on their qanuns, flutes, ouds, and Doumbek drums. The music brought a festive atmosphere to the night as it was punctuated by the shoppers chattering and the merchant's calls to those who passed by their booths.

Glancing around as he sniffed the night air, inhaling the scent of raw spices which themselves were almost overwhelmed by the delicious smell of a wide range of meals being cooked at the street cafes and small dining booths. He enviously glanced down and briefly watched as a merchant roasted silkworms and skewers of chili marinated grasshoppers while he baked his Sumac flatbread, called M'sakhan, in a makeshift oven. His stomach rumbled in protest to his having to wait until his relief arrived much later in the night. The fox's attention was drawn to a small pack of young college-aged whitetail deer bucks who were laughing and generally acting obnoxious as they made fun of the shoppers, totally oblivious to the small thin weasel who was trailing them as he waited an opportune time to relieve one or more of them of their wallets. Their stalker was one of the mob's guys, so his eyes looked elsewhere.

As he glanced down the street, his eyes narrowed when he saw a familiar fox leaving an old hotel. The vulpine in a tan tee-shirt with some old eighties band printed on it and worn blue jeans was accompanied by a larger timber wolf who was acting too casual for someone not up to something. Storm frowned as he watched as the fox caught on to his partner's lack of acting skills and said something to make the wolf laugh. With an aggravated sigh, the little fox pulled out his phone and made a call. "It's Wilde and another cop entering into the market on the east side of Zug Avenue. I see several more wolves spreading out in teams of two. We've got the K-9 Unit doing a sweep of the market, so heads up everyone!" he said as he left a message on the answering machine at the other end of the line. Hanging up, his phone beeped and he answered it, only to hear his own voice call back his message. His attention turned to the weasel who looked frustrated while he listened to the same message on his cell phone before he slipped away into the crowd. Throughout the market, the small army of professional pickpockets, hustlers, and con-artists disappeared, leaving no one for the cops to catch except an amateur purse snatcher.

"False mark scam," he whispered to himself as he watched a cape fox who was not much larger than him dropping a small trail of something leafy green in front of one of the spice vendors stalls, the camel inside watched and began to move the more pungent spices towards the back of his stall and then sprinkle some finely ground cayenne pepper at the end of the green trail. A few moments later a pair of wolves tried to act casual as they both stopped and sniffed the air, then one officer pulled out his radio and called it in as his partner leaned over and began sniffing the trail towards the vendor. The sniffing wolf suddenly stopped and sneezed before he began to yip in pain when the hot pepper got into his nose. Several more wolves joined the pair along with Wilde, who watched and then stepped back into the shadows as the cops began to search the large spice merchant's wares, who protested loudly that he did not deal in illegal catnip.

Storm sighed as he sat back down and waited for the call that the night was scrapped. A few minutes later he got the call and had climbed down from his hiding place. The small fox walked along the street towards the vendor who was selling those mouthwatering tidbits. He stopped just before he got the vendor and turned to see the red fox had doubled around and was now watching him, the wolf was nowhere to be seen. Shoving his paws into his coat pockets, he slipped down a nearby street and into a vendor's stall, climbing under the large table and then out the open back into a small temporary alleyway behind.

"Kole!" a voice hissed to him from the other end of the back area between the stalls. "We need to talk."

"Wilde," he sighed as he saw the larger fox approaching him. "I warned you, why didn't you stay away?"

"I'm a cop, this is what I do," Nick snapped back. "Last time we met you insinuated that since the mob can't get at me or Judy, they might go after someone else."

"Salazar is holding a contract on my father…" the smaller fox frowned when he realized what he had just said. "I mean the guy who claims to be my father and he will release it if you piss him off."

"And the hitmammal, is it one of the T-Brothers?" the other fox challenged. "Who's going to do the hit?"

"Dammit Wilde, it's supposed to be me!" the little fox growled before he took off running, leaving the larger red fox looking at him in surprise.

Wolford found the fox standing in the busy street looking aggravated. "Hey Wilde, where have you been?" he called out as the joined the other officer.

"It was a setup," the fox absentmindedly replied as he seemed to be scanning for someone in the crowd. "All those spices are going to screw up a few of the team's noses for a day or two."

"Yeah, Fangster got a snout full of hot pepper," the timber wolf replied with a shrug. "It won't kill him but he'll be hurting for the night and some tomorrow."

"It was a setup," Nick repeated. "I told Huntersnout they'd see us coming and they did. We might as well call it a night and go home, did we catch anyone?"

"Just a purse snatcher," Wolford sighed. "He was just an amateur at best, he ran right into Jerry and almost knocked him down."

"Just another waste of time and resources," the fox grumbled as he followed the large wolf back towards the hotel. "It still makes me wonder why they sent both the K-9 Unit and me, that didn't leave any of the best noses elsewhere?"

* * *

By the time Storm got back to the villa he was sure that the fix was in and Salazar was going to be upset, instead, he heard the camel's laughter in the garden. Trying his best to slip inside without being noticed, the fox kept to the shadows but inside the villa sometimes even the shadows have eyes and he found himself being dragged out towards the garden by one of the camel's henchmen. "So there is he is!" Salazar cried out when he saw the small fox had been found. "I've always said that you were the best eyes and ears in the Family!" the camel called out as he waved the fox forward. "I heard the recording about Wilde and the wolves, excellent work."

"You're not mad about Wilde being there tonight?" Storm asked in a surprised voice.

"If he hadn't, then you still have seen the others," Salazar answered with a shrug and picked up a date which he threw to the fox. "It's not sticky candy this time little one!"

"Thank you Sidi," Storm said before he dutifully popped the morsel into his mouth and bowed to the amusement of the mobsters as he chewed the treat.

"While the K-9 Unit was chasing ghosts, the Weasling Gang was running a load of nip right under the noses of those lions and tiger officers which Bogo had to assign to the docks tonight!" Salazar jubilantly proclaimed. "It is so nice to have someone in City Hall to set this up for us."

Storm did his best to blend back into the crowd that stood around awaiting their assignments, but the large camel was not done with him yet. "However Wilde still remains a thorn in my side, not enough to call in the contract my little one," he said to the fennec fox with a smile. "Take Joey and find your father and give him my regards, not too hard but just enough to get Wilde's attention."

The fox glanced back past the jackal who had joined them and gave a thin smile at the glare that the jackal's usual partner, the sand cat, gave him. "Don't tell me that you are really going to hurt your dad?" Joey asked as she cocked his head in apparent confusion at the small fox.

"Those are our orders," Storm replied with a shrug. "Would you tell the boss no?"

"He'd cut my tongue out and serve it back to me for dinner," the jackal chuckled. "Rumor is that he did that once."

"It isn't a rumor Joey," the fox sighed. "Come on, we have work to do."

Before the two reached the door, Salazar gleefully called out to them again, "I want you to bring me his right ear little one, that will send the message to Wilde!"

Storm tried not to react and willed his ears to stay erect as he turned and bowed to the corrupt camel.


	14. Foxes on the Run

**Chapter 14: Foxes on the Run**

* * *

 **While Stone is going nighty night, Storm snaps! Finn takes Storm and Susan to meet a strange old friend of his.**

* * *

The gray vixen didn't bother the other fox for the remainder of the night and although she did glance at him several times with lustful eyes, he showed no interest in her anymore. Stone on the other paw had finally found a soft spot and gradually nodded off in a chair after checking that Anton was comfortably asleep. Sometime during the night, he felt paws picking him up like when he was a puppy and someone laid him on another bed and tucked him in. In his dream state, he called out, "Goodnight mommy." The low chuckle which borderline that of a growl answered him as he came instantly awake and stared up into the eyes of the large polar bear who was looked down at him in amusement.

"No my friend, it is just I Koslov putting you in a bed," the bear softly laughed. "I too have a son, his name is Morris and he is the darling of my heart."

"Anton is not my son," the small fox replied as he looked over at the sleeping arctic fox.

"No, but he adores you and loves you like a son does a father," the bear tusked. "As I said earlier, every child needs a family and you should be his family."

"But I'm not married," Stone protested.

"You are engaged to the pretty kitty," the bear answered with a shrug as he pulled down another oversized blanket and spread it over the fox. "Now sleep my little friend, no more talk until the day breaks."

The fox was surprised at how silently the very large bear disappeared into the darkness.

* * *

Back at the police station, Nick tapped his claws against the top of his desk in an irritating rhythm to the other officers working the night shift as he mulled over his brief conversation with Storm earlier that night in the market. He was still shocked that the crime lord Salazar was holding a contract on Finnick with the expectation that the fox's own son would perform the murder. Hesitantly he sighed before he picked up his personal cell phone and made the call he was dreading. "Finn where are you?" he asked when the smaller fox answered.

"You miss me, Red?" the other fox laughed. "I'm with Suzie at her place, why?"

The officer hesitated before answering, "Look buddy, I saw Storm tonight…"

"Is he okay?' Finn about yelled as he cut him off mid-sentence. "Don't tell me he got hurt or you've arrested him!"

"No nothing's wrong with him," the red fox answered. "He told me something that you're not going to like. It seems his boss has a contract on your head."

"W…what did I do to Salazar?" Finn quickly asked. "I've always avoided the mob, unlike you and Mister Big."

Nick grimaced at the other fox's statement about the mob and his past connection with Mister Big and the fact he was only alive today thanks to Judy. Of course, Finn would also know who Salazar was because his pal still had contacts on the streets too. "He did it as a warning to me," the larger fox sighed. "He doesn't think that he can go directly at me because of Judy and her friendship with Fru Fru, it might start a mob war that he couldn't win."

"Agreed, but why me?" Finn asked again. His voice was strained and Nick could hear the fear in his best friend's tone.

"First to test Storm's loyalty to the mob," Nick finally answered. "Storm said that he was the one who is supposed to do the deed when and if it gets released."

"That bastard wants my own son to off me?' the small fox growled. "I'LL BITE HIS FACE OFF FIRST!"

The officer held the phone away from his ear as his friend went from being afraid to anger and began cursing. "Finn…Finn…Damnit it Finn, listen to me!" Nick finally shouted into the phone, drawing too much attention from the few officers in the area. He jumped out of his seat and walked out of the room and into the empty briefing room, which was nicknamed by the officers as the Bull Pen. "Look, you and Susan both have to get down here to the station, I was with the K-9 Unit tonight doing a sweep of the night market in Sahara Square and I'm not sure how Salazar is going to take that? I'll talk to either Bogo or the captain about having a unit pick you up and get you to a safe house under police protection. Maybe if we pick up Storm, I can get him to talk?"

"Can it Wilde!" the smaller fox growled. "I'd rather let him do me in then send my son back to jail."

Nick winced when the phone went dead and he desperately tried to call Finn back, but the little fox wouldn't answer.

Across town, Susan looked over at her lover and the father of her two sons. She could hear the anger and panic in his voice. "Finn, what's wrong?" she asked as she approached him. "What is going on between you and Nick? Does it have anything to do with Storm?"

"Storm is in trouble and we need to help him by disappearing," he yelled back to her as he ran into their bedroom and began shoving clothes into a duffle bag.

"Finn!" she cried out. "Storm isn't hurt or…or…"

"He's fine for now," Finn answered in his frenzy to grab what he could. "Get packing and I'll tell you what's going on in the van."

She wasn't even finished when he suddenly pulled at her arm and grabbed the duffle bag along with her half-packed suitcase as he yanked her towards the door. When he opened the door, Finn dropped what he held when he came face to face with a younger muscular fennec fox and a taller jackal standing there waiting. "Storm!" Susan yelled as she tried to push past Finn and into the arms of her son.

"So this is your father?" the Joey chuckled. "You two kind of look alike, I almost can't tell you two apart. I guess we'll fix that when you cut his ear off."

Storm frowned but didn't reply to his companion's statement. Instead, he looked into the eyes of the other tod who was standing in front of him. He visibly flinched when he heard his mother frantically calling to him again and his face softened when he looked over at her.

"Susie, go back into the bedroom!" Finn growled as he pushed her away from the door. "Our son and I have some business we need to attend to tonight."

"Finn I'm not going anywhere!" she snapped as she tried to push past the male fox and towards her son. "Stormy please tell me what's going on…please!"

Before the younger fox could answer, the jackal stepped forward and shoved him out of the way with a growl, "This is taking too long, get out of the way bitch!" The back of the larger canid's paw came down across his mother's muzzle sending her staggering back into the room.

"You bastard!" Finn yelled as he grabbed at a black wooden baseball bat that was next to the door. Before the smaller fox could grab it, the jackal hit him with his fist and sent the tod sprawling onto the floor.

"Let's just get this over with!" the Joey laughed as he pulled out a wicked-looking knife and then hesitated as he looked down at his victim. "Which ear was it that the boss said he wanted?"

Storm's eyes went wide in fear because he was confused and wanted to just run, he saw the bat on the floor and quickly picked it up. The jackal was leaning over and had grabbed one of the stunned older tod's ears, he watched the mobster lift the knife. Looking at his sobbing mother cringing on the ground, younger tod just snapped and brought the bat down with a meaty crack on the back of the jackal's head. Swing after swing smashed into the jackal's skull and blood began to stain the carpet. "You bastards!" he wildly cried out. "You all are bastards…evil…corrupt..."

"Storm, stop!" Susan cried out as she crawled over to Finn's side and tried to grab at the bloody bat. There were tears running down her cheeks as she sobbed. "Please son, please stop."

Storm dropped the bat and looked at her. "He hurt you, mommy," he muttered as his ears drooped, she stood and put her arms around him, there were now tears in his eyes too as she hugged her. "I've so screwed up my life and I am so sorry."

"Shhh!" Susan gently whispered. "It's okay baby…it's okay."

The young tod suddenly flinched as another firmer paw was placed on his shoulder. He blinked through his tears as he looked over at his father. "Storm…son…" Finn began but hesitated. "We can't stay here. We have to go someplace safe until we can sort this all out."

Storm nodded and wiped his eyes with the back of his arm, looking down at the bleeding gangster he dug around until he found the jackal's cell phone which he pitched out the door. He knew his mother did not have a landline but grabbed her old laptop so that it could not be used.

"Come on, let's get to the van!" the older tod encouraged his son. "We've got to hide until I can get with Wilde to work this out and I know just the place!" The small fox drove his distinctive-looking van south towards the Great Dunes, finally parking it inside an old warehouse down by the lower bay. Next to where he parked was an old beat-up black sedan into which he tossed everything before they drove out into the early morning light. Storm was impressed with his father's driving as he twisted and turned the car down side streets and alleyways through Hyenahurst and into the downtown business district before doubling back towards the old warehouse district, always looking behind him to ensure they were not being followed. He finally stopped in front of a nondescript building along an old rotted dock and clambered out to unlock the chain link fence, pushing it aside before Storm drove the car inside.

"We dump the car here," Finn grunted as he grabbed an arm full of bags. "We must leave nothing behind that can identify us and follow me." The older fox led them into a huge culvert pipe that appeared part of the city's drainage system, downward they walked into the pitch dark and then after several twists and turns ended up in front of a stout steel-plated door,

Susan let go of Storm's arm and gripped Finn's. "Where are we?" she whispered.

"Neither one of you talk until I tell you," Finn snapped as he stepped forward to stand in front of the door. "I know you are watching and listening, Honey. I need your help."

The door creaked open and a wild-looking skinny female badger peeked out, the light shadowed her from their eyes. "What do you want Finn?" she asked in a gruff voice. "Who's the vixen?"

"She's the mother of my two boys," Finn answered as he put a paw and pushed the door open. "We're in trouble."

They could now see the badger clearer and she was dressed in a pair of olive drab fatigues, her fur between her ears had purple highlights, and there was what looked like a spear gun of some sort over her shoulder. "You told me and Nick that she was dead!" the badger suspiciously said as she leaned over to look at the vixen closer.

"I was wrong," the fox sighed as he reached up and put a paw on the badger's arm. "Honey, we need to hide out for a while. Can we come inside, I promise its safe."

The badger stood straight and looked down the tunnel before she answered, "Are you hiding from the government? Has the purge finally started?"

"No Honey, I told you that Wilde and the bunny stopped them and that Bellwether is now locked up," the fox answered.

"Good!" Honey said with a now cheery voice. "So come on in and tell me who's trying to kill you now dad?"

"Dad?" both Susan and Storm said together as the stared at the strange badger.

"He's really not my father, but he kind of raised me along with Wilde when I was younger and so I like to tease him by calling him that," the badger answered with a shrug before grabbing one of the bags from Storm's arms. "So if Storm Kole is here and not his brother Stone, I take it you all are running from the mob and not some angry surfers."

"You know me?" Storm stuttered out in confusion.

"Well duh, your brother is kind of famous," the badger snorted as she dropped the bag onto the floor and gave an almost a foxlike smirk before walking back towards the open door behind them. "You do know he was all over the news last year, running around naked with his cat and punching lowlife reporters?"

"Salazar put a hit out on me," Finn sighed as the watched the badger shut and bar the door, before flipping a switch which caused the metal to crackle. Storm's ears drooped when he realized that the door was now electrified.

"Humpf!" Honey grumbled as she walked past them towards another chamber. "Just the mob, that's all?"

"Isn't that enough?" Susan yelled in disbelief at how casual this strange badger was acting.

Honey turned to face her and looked her over before she shrugged, "I guess that's more than enough, but you're safe down here."


	15. Weird Science

**Chapter 15: Weird Science**

* * *

 **Anton is happy Stone is spending the day with him. Storm learns more about his father's strange friend and her sinister plan.**

* * *

Stone stretched and scratched his side when he finally awoke and wearily plopped out of the bed. "Good morning Uncle Stone," Anton cheerily called out from his bed. The young arctic fox was still on his side, but propped up and holding a coloring book. "We were wondering if you were going to sleep all day, you missed breakfast."

A tall nurse in a pair of green and blue scrubs looked briefly over at the fennec fox. "Coffee is on the sideboard," he said with a thick accent as the burly reindeer buck was putting away some gaze pad, it was evident that he had just finished cleaning and replacing the young fox's tail wrappings. He leaned over and ruffled the fur between Anton's ears. "The tail is looking better already, just don't wag it, you little munchkin."

"It's hard not to do it when I'm happy!" the seven-year-old fox complained.

"Just don't, da?" the deer sighed.

"Da!" Anton huffed.

Stone had poured himself a mug of the very strong coffee and quickly added some sugar to sweeten the bitter taste some. "Bears must like this stuff strong," he commented to the buck.

"Nyet, but the boss does," the nurse answered as adjusted the bed so that its little occupant was more comfortable. "I'm supposed to tell you that you are expected to stay for lunch today."

"I feel a tad gamey and am not really dressed for visiting company," the fox sighed as he sipped the coffee again.

"We have a shower and Mistress Fru Fru had some clothes your size and grooming utensils brought to the clinic so you can clean up some this morning," the tall buck replied. "She expected that you would want to stay today and tonight with Anton."

"Please stay Uncle Stoney!" the arctic pup pleaded. "We can watch cartoons on TV together."

"Heh, I haven't seen a cartoon since I was about your age," the older fox snickered. "I mostly watched car shows, professional wrestling, and surfing shows when I grew up. But Karen is still out of town and so I think my day is relatively free."

"Nyet…No…Nyet!" the nurse suddenly interjected as he looked over at Anton. "Don't you wag that little tail!"

* * *

Nick frantically ran up the stairs and towards the door of the apartment, his gun was drawn as he saw that the apartment door was open. Judy was right behind him and she too had her tranquilizer gun primed as she ducked lower. Looking at the fox, she nodded before he burst into the room and yelled, "Police!"

The apartment was empty and Judy knelt down and looked at the rusty red stain on the floor's carpet and the blood-splattered bat lying by the door. "Someone got hurt," she said as she looked up at her worried partner.

Nick dropped to all fours and the lean uniformed fox sniffed the blood and the carpet. "It doesn't smell like Finn's blood, maybe a coyote or a jackal?" He pulled on a plastic glove from his belt pouch and picked up a bat. "Definitely canine," he quickly added as he looked at the fur matted on the bat. "Whatever happened, it looks like Finn got a few good shots in before he disappeared."

"We need to call this in, Nick!" Judy said as she turned and faced her partner. "This changes things, we need backup and maybe Bogo will…"

"No!" the fox growled. "We need to find Finn first, my best friend is in danger and I don't want some damn police red tape hindering our finding him."

"Nick!" the rabbit protested, but the fox was already out of the door.

* * *

Storm watched as the strange-looking badger fussed about where they could stay within her relatively large underground burrow. Over the years, she had dug out a series of rooms that ran off of the huge streel drainage pipe. Most of these were filled with emergency rations and other supplies, as she had spent her time preparing for some mythological purge that would never come.

Honey also seemed to fuss over the fact that his mother was there and jokingly now calling her "mom" just like she called Finn her "dad", but the younger fennec fox was not sure that she really meant it as a joke. He looked into a side room that was lit by only one small exposed bulb, but there were a dozen computer screens on a desk and it was quite evident that she was networked into all the city and police servers, along with a number of corporate systems too. He picked up a strange looking collar that was sitting on a table full of electronics and parts.

"That's an experimental shock collar which the city had designed for predators to wear, part of phase two of Bellwether's scheme. The idea is that it would suppress anger, giving a shock when a pred got upset or angry. The only problem is that it not only gave a shock for anger, but it also gave a shock anytime the wearer's heart rate increased," Honey explained as she entered the room. "So Mister Fox, what happens when you get a good shock?" She didn't hesitate for him to answer but continued. "Well, the answer darling is that your heart rate spikes again and so the collar keeps delivering shock after shock until the wearer's heart finally gives out unless someone with a key can get it off in time."

"Slowly electrocuted," Storm grunted as he set the device back onto the table. "That sucks."

"That's an understatement fox!" the badger sarcastically snorted. "It's not a pleasant way to die, trust me."

"Why do you have all of this?" the fox added as he waved his paws towards the screens and the gear.

"The purge is coming," her eyes were bright but she seems agitated in her manner, her body shook and she quickly glanced around as if expecting someone to be spying on them from the shadows. "THEY want to eliminate and control the entire city's predator species, make the prey fear us. With fear comes power, for others will give up their own liberty to be safe. We saw that when Bellwether and her cronies used the Midnicampum holicithias to create fear that us poor preds were all going savage and she would have gotten away with it if Nick hadn't stopped her!"

"I think he had help," Storm interjected. "But Bellwether is now locked away and they have a cure for Night Howlers, don't they?"

The badger gave out a loud "Humrpf" as she walked towards the door and into the tunnel, beckoning him to follow.

"Just what happened to you?" Storm finally brought himself to ask as he followed the badger down the steel-walled tunnel. "I'm sorry to say this, but how can you live down here all alone?"

"I'm not alone!" she airily snorted, then she hesitated and then her muzzle lowered as she reached up and ran her paws through her purple hair. "Okay, I am alone and I know what you really are asking is how did I end up this weird?"

"I didn't call you weird," the fox began to I object. He stopped when he saw the skeptical look she gave him.

"I am weird," Honey continued. "Several years ago I needed money, so I answered an online advertisement for clinical studies patients. The clinic turned out to be a front for a group of rams doing experiments on predators. They tried different drugs on us and one of the drugs they gave me was supposed to make me go wildly savage, but it didn't. It wasn't the Midnicampum holicithias that Bellwether and her cronies used, but a synthetic version of it and instead of making me savage, it opened parts of my brain that we rarely use. I escaped and found my way down here."

The badger grabbed his paw and led him to a doorway where she pulled on a lever, which opened to reveal a smooth tunnel hewn out of solid stone. As they entered, she hesitated again and looked down at the fox, "Storm, I know that I'm paranoid, forgetful, and obnoxious, but those are all symptoms of the damage the drug did to me. It also made me somewhat brilliant, so that is the tradeoff, but I won't have to worry about that long because it also gave me cancer."

Storm looked up and Honey looked bitter. "I'm sorry," he muttered. "Is it bad?"

"Yeah, it should have killed me by now if I hadn't made a nano-virus that keeps it check, I figure I've only got maybe another thirty or forty years before it kills me," she replied as she now skipped into the round tunnel. "Aren't these neat tunnels?"

"Wait! Wait! You cured cancer?" the fox asked as he watched the badger standing inside the tunnel.

"You'll believe anything short stuff!" she snickered as she twirled around in the dark.

Storm looked her in agitation before he joined her in the tunnel. Then his countenance changed from frustration to awe when he saw the smooth tunnel walls, the ceiling almost touched the badger's head. "How the hell did you dig this?" he asked. "Where does it go?"

"I didn't dig these goofy, I just found them!" she laughed. Her laughter echoed down the dark tunnel. "The worms dug them."

"Little tiny worms dug these huge tunnels!" Storm exclaimed in disbelief as he looked around. "That's impossible!"

The badger giggled as she shook her head no, "you are so silly, they were dug by giant cave worms centuries ago."

The fox's ears drooped as he stared back at her. "Giant worms? There are no such things! You're messing with me again."

"Not anymore, because the giant cave shrews killed and ate them," Honey scoffed as she turned on some lights that illuminated the tunnel for as far as the fox could see. "Of course they died out centuries ago too."

"Where does this thing go?" the fox asked as he looked around.

"Things dearie, there are hundreds of miles of these tunnels deep under the city," the badger answered as she pulled out a strange-looking bicycle from the other room. "I've dug some smaller tunnels leading upwards so I sneak around the city."

"You've got tunnels throughout the whole city?" the small fox said as he looked around in wonder. "Do you know what the mob would pay for such access? It would change smuggling as we know it. They could get whatever they wanted to wherever they wanted and when they wanted right under the cop's feet. You could make a fortune!"

"Nope! First, they don't run under the whole city, just parts. The sections which led to the Great Wall collapsed during its construction and water leached into what is now the Rainforest district," she answered with a shrug as she sat on her bike. "I'm saving the good tunnels for when the purge comes, so we preds can hide until we are ready to strike back. I've even rigged demolition charges under strategic locations, such as city hall and the police stations. There are explosives under the mansions of several important community leaders, including your former boss's place in Sahara Square."

"You've really got Salazar's place rigged?" He asked as he watched her sitting on the bike, she motioned him over to join her on the seat.

"One day, it's going to go KABOOM!" she dramatically yelled out as she threw her arms into the air. Her jubilant cry ominously echoed down the tunnel.


	16. Fox Underground

**Chapter 16: A Fox Underground**

* * *

 **Orders are given by Salazar and Storm finds a friend.**

* * *

The fat camel in the white robes cursed as he dumped his tray of dates upon the floor. His thin cousin watched with some disgust at the temper tantrum the mob boss what having. "You pushed him too far with your sadistic game," Abel sighed as he pulled at the sleeves of the blue business suit that he was wearing today instead of the traditional robes. "I warned you Sidi that this was a bad idea!"

"SHUT UP!" Salazar yelled back as he sat back down on the dais. "I was just teasing him, having fun."

"You told him to cut his father's ear off, cousin and that is more than teasing!" the thinner camel continued as he walked over to a table and looked down at some schematics of the First Zootopian Bank. "It's too late to walk this back, we need to find Storm and silence him now. He no longer is the valuable asset he once was because of you."

"He not only disobeyed me but fled. I want his head on a silver platter tonight and that of his father, mother, brother, and anyone else he loves!"

"We don't know where he went. His parents are gone and his only brother is where we can't reach him, he's a guest of Mister Big. Take your time to think this out Sidi, we don't want to rush into something that will compromise our Family. This is foolishness…"

"GO!" Salazar angrily snapped. "Everyone get the HELL OUT!" After everyone had left the room, the camel crossed over to his desk and pressed a button before he returned to sit upon the cushions again. Silently, two large sinister tigers entered the room and knelt before him. "I have a job for you two, it's going to be dangerous but I want you to do it tonight."

"Sure boss," Tony said with a grin as he looked first at his partner and then over at the camel. "Who's the target?"

"Stone Kole, Storm's brother," the camel replied as he leaned back and stroked his muzzle. "Bring him to me alive if you can, dead if you must."

"Where can we find him Sidi?" Tommy asked as he looked up.

"Tundratown in Mister Big's place," the camel answered. Both tigers hissed at that news and looked at each other.

"That's impossible!" Tony finally said, his face showed concern. "That is rival mob territory, the shrew always knows who comes to that side of the wall and tigers are not common visitors. How do we get into his place?"

"Figure it out!" the camel snapped as he waved his hoof in dismissal.

The two tigers stood in the hallway and contemplated their mission. "Let's go see the Weslings and maybe they have any information on the mansion? There has to be a way in there and back out," Tony finally suggested. "We've been in similar places before."

"No we haven't," Tommy snapped back, there was a look of worry upon his face and he nervously scratched at his muzzle. "This is a heavy-armed target, full of polar bears who will have our hides for rugs if this goes wrong."

"But think of our reputation if we pull it off!" Tony excitedly added as he grinned at this cousin. "We will be the greatest assassins ever known."

"Or we will just be plain dead," the other tiger huffed out.

* * *

Judy had never seen Nick as desperate as he was rushing from place to place looking for Finn. She had never been in many of these bars before and the fox seemed to know a lot more questionable members of the criminal society than she realized. Most of them just slammed the door in his face, calling him a traitor, only to reopen it when he said that Finn was in trouble. "We'll find him," the fox growled more for his own reassurance than hers.

"Nick, we really need to call this in," she repeated to him for the umpteenth time only to be ignored. "Nick!"

"I HEARD YOU JUDY!" the fox snarled back, his eyes were wide more with fear than with anger. The rabbit stepped back from him a few steps and his ears dropped as he closed his eyes and willed himself to calm down. "Judy, I'm sorry but there are those who I can only talk to without being a cop…old friends of mine and Finn's. Once they get stirred up, they will be able to do more for Finn than we cops could ever…"

Judy looked up into the fox's emerald eyes as tears formed and ran down his muzzle. "Judy he's my best friend, I would give up my own life to keep him safe," he sniffled as he wiped his eyes with his arm, staining his blue uniform shirt.

"Then let's go home and change out of these uniforms," she sighed as she hugged him and laid her head against his chest. "I think I need to go ask one of my friends for a favor and you know Mister Big frowns upon cops showing up at his place."

* * *

The badger wrapped her arm around the smaller fox's waist and pulled him closer into her before she pushed off and began peddling the bike down the tunnel. Storm tensed up as he was pushed back against her. There was something else weird about Honey that he hadn't figured out yet. The bike began to gather speed and he quickly realized that it was going much faster than he thought possible. "What the hell is going on!" he yelled as they picked up even more speed.

The badger gaily laughed as the fox desperately grabbed at the bike's frame. "This is a kinetic energy bike silly fox!" she answered, as she reached down and wrapped her left arm against him to pull him even closer. "I made it a few years ago after I stole the idea from a guy over in Hyenahurst."

"How fast are we going?" the fox almost screamed, she could both sense and smell his terror.

"Only about eighty miles per hour!" she casually replied. "I have reached well over one hundred."

"No shit?" Storm practically yowled. He frowned when he realized that something strange was going on behind him as he was pressed against the badger and his eyes widened when he realized what he felt against his back.

She began to slow down the bike as they came to an intersection. "Sorry, I should have told you," she mumbled in an apologetic voice.

"You're a tranny?" the fox tried not to say in an accusatory voice. "You've got guy parts?"

"Yep!" she replied as she brought the bike to rest.

"Does my father know?" he asked as he turned around and looked up at her.

"Duh, why wouldn't he?" she huffed. "I never tried to hide who I am from either Finn or Nick."

"Huh," was all that Storm could think of answering. "Ah…look Honey, I'm not into girls with guys stuff."

"I figured," she sighed as she stretched after getting off the bike. "Are you sure you're not? I've had other guys tell me that before, but they changed their mind and never regretted it afterward."

"Nope, besides I have a girl," he began to answer and then his ears drooped when he remembered what Jasmine had told him.

"You had a girlfriend," Honey sighed as she sat down in the tunnel. "You want to talk about it?"

"No…maybe…yeah," he finally muttered out, before he sat down next to her.

Honey turned out to be a good listener as the small fox unburdened himself about Jasmine, Stoney, and the remainder of his now miserable life. When he finished, she simply stood up and looked down at him. "Well, that was enlightening!" she briskly said as she walked towards the bike again. "Here I thought that my being a lonely girl with guy parts living in a hole underground while waiting for a great purge, which may or may not come, was bad. Oh no, your life is even more screwed up!"

"Hey!" he began to protest.

She put her paw up to silence him. "So let's get this straight, you love your momma and are jealous of your brother. On top of all of that, you're unsure if you can trust your father and you are in love with a hooker."

"When you put it that way, my life does kind of suck."

"Oh I forgot, you also said that you are on the run because your mob boss wants you to kill your own father. Yeah, I'd say your life sucks worse than mine."

"Thanks!"

"So what are you going to do about it?"

"What do you mean?"

"First, are you gonna tell Finny that you love him and accept him as being your daddy?"

"Maybe I can start by telling him that I don't hate him anymore?"

"No, I want to see a big daddy and son hug!"

"It's too soon for that."

"Storm, you're hiding underground from the mob and they want both you and Finn dead. You really might not have that many days left in your life to drag this out."

"You're really good at motivational speeches aren't you? I mean, come on!"

"If they are after you and Finn, do you think that Stone is safe? Salazar might go after him to get to you."

"Damn, I didn't think about that!"

"Yeah, you really should have."

The small fox's ears dropped as he looked up with concern at the larger badger.


	17. Learning Curves

**Chapter 17: Learning Curves**

* * *

 **Stone meets Fru Fru again for lunch as Storm learns more about the strange badger named Honey.**

* * *

Stone spent the morning sitting with Anton and watching the young pup's favorite television shows, he was rather relieved when he got word that he was expected for lunch in another part of the mansion and after reassuring the seven-year-old that he would return in the afternoon, he followed the portly groundhog in the back tuxedo down the hallway. He looked around in awe and the deep mahogany paneling that lined the hallway and the plush soft royal blue and red carpets which covered the hallway. The servant led him out into a larger room with two large staircases leading up to another level, the floors in here were marble and the walls painted a deep hunter green. "How does Fru Fru get around here, this place is huge?" he asked his companion.

"There are other ways to get around, Sir," the groundhog answered, his voice had a slight western twang despite being rather polished in its manner.

Stone stopped when he heard a humming noise and looked next to the stairways to see a small pair of elevator doors opening and the female shrew scurrying out. She had her black fur fashionably pulled up on to the top of her head again and was wearing a rich blue dress. At the sight of her, the fox tugged at his dark blue sports jacket's sleeve and straighten up so he was not slouching, as he had a habit of doing. "My you do look rather handsome today Mister Kole," she commented as she gave him a smile. He gave her an over-exaggerated formal bow, which cause her to laugh.

"My grander pales in the radiance of one so beautiful," he formally stated. She greeted his comments with more laughter.

"I believe that I am going to like you, Mister Kole," she replied as she formally curtsied back to him. "Even if you do have a fox's slick wittiness. However, I do believe you are a faker. You've yet said awesome dude or something in that surfer lingo you use in public."

"Please call me Stone," he called over to her as he followed her across the room towards what appeared to be a library or parlor. Inside a couple of polar bears dressed in black suits awaited and one of them leaned over and offered his paw the shrew. "As for the surfer talk, that's like totally for the fans babe! Like one has to stroke one's bodacious beach bumming rep to be cool for sure." The shrew made small giggle as she listened.

"Thank you, Raymond," she said as the bear gently lifted her and set her upon a large mahogany desk. The bear just nodded and stepped back towards the door. "So Stone, how is our patient doing this morning?"

"He seems to be doing better, have you heard from Child Services about the attack? I was expecting someone to show up here by now wanting to investigate the incident," the fox asked as he hopped up into an oversized armchair and watched the shrew daintily sit down on a much smaller matching chair.

"Gawd no!" Fru Fru laughed. "That matter has been attended to by one of our lawyers, all the charges have been dropped and Anton will be able to return to the orphanage if he has to."

Stone's ears drooped as he saw her looking at him as if she was expecting him to tell her something to the contrary. He cleared his throat and looked down at the dark green and silver carpet. "I wanted to thank you again for everything that you have done to help him," the fox finally said. "Your generosity is much appreciated."

"Stone, he is a child of the North and my father and I have always watched out for those who need help in Tundratown," the small shrew answered with a shrug.

"Ma'am, Miss Hopps is at the gate and has requested to see you," the groundhog called out from the doorway. "She is being quite pesky…excuse me I meant to say she is being quite adamant about it too."

"Thank you, Willie," the shrew replied. "Please ask Judy to join us."

The servant bowed before he turned and left. "Is he really a butler?" Stone asked as the groundhog left, his comment caused Raymond to chuckle.

"He tries, but he is the son of an old family friend who lost his ranch years ago to the IRS," Fru Fru sighed.

The rancher turned butler returned in a few moments and announced that Fru Fru had a visitor. "Miss Judith Hopps," he tried to grandly announce despite his Western twang.

"Fru Fru!" the rabbit called out as she ran over to gently hug her much smaller friend. Judy was dressed in a light yellow long-sleeved cotton blouse and a pair of blue slacks. "It's been ages since I've had a chance to get up here to see you." Turning towards the fox she smiled at him before walking over to hug him too. "You're one of the reasons why I came today."

"What's going on Judy?" Stone asked as the rabbit stepped back and found a seat near the desk where Fru Fru was sitting.

"It seems that your brother has gotten himself into another jam, he's pissed off Salazar and the word is that the mob has put a hit on your dad," she replied.

"Oh my!" Fru Fru exclaimed. "Why would they do that? You don't touch family, he knows that!"

Raymond looked up from his phone with interest.

"Where's my dad!" Stone almost yelped out with concern. "You do have him someplace safe, right?"

"We don't know, both he and Storm have disappeared. The best Nick's friends can tell him is that the mob is still looking for him and we have heard that you're not safe either."

Upon hearing that, the large polar bear stood and silently slipped out of the room.

"What did I do?" the fox asked as he stood on the chair in panic. "I don't have anything to do with the mob."

"Calm down Stone," Fru Fru sighed. "First, this must be a mistake and second, you are our guest and no one would dare attack a guest who's under my father's roof."

"I don't know Fru Fru," Judy sighed as she looked around. "They say this Sidi guy is rather eccentric and unpredictable, we're sure he's had others killed before."

"The cartel will keep him in line," the shrew replied with a dismissive wave of her paw. "There are others who have an interest in keeping the peace between the Families beside daddy."

Stone's ears drooped and his mouth fell open when he heard that. "Are…are you saying you're with the mob?"

"I'm not a mobster silly," the shrew laughed. "Now please just calm down."

* * *

Storm stood up and walked slowly down the tunnel. "Hey, where are you going cutie?" Honey called out as she watched him fumbling for a cigarette. "Let's get going, I want to show you how you can get back in that villa if you wanted to."

"You have a hidden way into Salazar's place?"

The badger just nodded and pointed down the tunnel. "The villa and the Palms Hotel are just a few of the places located in Sahara Square where I have secret entrances. How did you think I got the explosives under those places without anyone knowing about them?"

"Do you really have this whole city rigged?"

"Only Savannah Central, Hyenahurst, and Sahara Square, as told you earlier, the wall collapsed the way into Tundratown and the Rainforest District flooded those tunnels. The soil past Sahara Square is too sandy and those tunnels have also collapsed."

"Come on and show me!" he said as he walked towards the bike again. "No hanky panky."

"You're not really my type, too short. Besides, you remind me of our dad."

"He's not your dad," Stone began to protest, but then he shrugged. "I guess in a way, he was more of a father to you and Nick Wilde than he ever was to me and Stoney."

"You know he really didn't know you two were alive until your brother found him?"

Storm sighed and looked down the tunnel. "I know, but it's just after all those years of hating him for leaving my mother, I find it hard to forgive him."

"Hate is a terrible thing because it consumes your soul bit by bit. You've fallen a long way down little brother, but maybe it's time to make a change? Finn loves you Storm, even though you don't want to believe that."

"For a whacko living in a tunnel, you sure do know a thing or two about relationships."

"I watch old romance movies!" she suddenly laughed as she swirled around and picked him up and kissed his cheek.

"Hey!" he protested as she hugged him. "I told you I wasn't the kind of guy!"

She laughed as she sat down on the bike again and plopped him in front of her. "I know, but can't a sister hug her brother?"

"You ain't my sister."

"Keep telling yourself that sweetie."

With a whoosh, they launched down the tunnel again. Faster and faster they went, avoiding a few rocks here and there as the cycled along at breakneck speed. "One hundred and ten!" he heard Honey excitedly laugh. "I guess your extra weight gave us more speed?"

With a sequel of the brakes, she began to slow down. "What's wrong?" Storm called back to the badger.

"We are already here!"

"You've got to be kidding? You couldn't drive to the Square that fast in a car."

"We had no traffic, silly fox!"

He looked at a series of large rickety-looking ladders leading up to strong steel doors in the ceilings. "Those are the tunnels?"

"Yep, the one on the right leads up to the Palms and the third one to the left goes into Salazar's mansion. I still have about a foot of soil between his building and the tunnel. I didn't want anyone to find out about the chamber filled with…"

"You said you had it rigged, how much?"

"Enough to launch a camel into outer space," she snorted in laughter.

His ears drooped as he looked up at the large ladder made from scrap wood and pipes.

"You seem upset about that?"

"It's just not everyone who works up there for Salazar is bad, there are the kitchen staff, maids, and others."

"Collateral damage," she airily replied with a wave of her paw. "I think someone famous once said that sometimes innocents must perish for the greater good."

"Tell that to the innocent's family," Storm sighed. "I tried saving a young college kit once, kept her from seeing her boss get killed by some of the mob and by left her as a witness to my role in the job. Salazar decided she was too much of a risk."

"What happened to the girl?"

"The killers served her head on a plate to me for breakfast. They went back and killed her later, murdered her in the supposed safety of her parent's home."

"No place is safe."

"The point is I know I made it worse for her family, it would have been bad enough to learn that she was murdered at the bar one night, but to find her headless body in her bedroom had to be devastating."

"You've never killed anyone before, have you?"

"I've watched too many people die, some who deserved to, but still…"

"Still, by watching you became complacent."

"For someone hiding from the world, you seem to know enough about life?"

"Television and blogs!" he giggled as she picked him up and gave him a smothering hug.

"Hey, I told you I ain't that kind of guy!"

"Shut up little brother," she giggled.


	18. Karen is Attacked

**Chapter 18: Karen is Attacked**

* * *

 **Karen comes home early to surprise her fox but finds someone else in their home.**

* * *

Karen couldn't relax as the Zoober pulled into the parking lot of the beachside condominium complex, the pretty sand cat fidgeted with both anticipation and excitement with the realization that she was finally home, she had hoped that she would be able to surprise Stone by arriving back a few days earlier than promised. At the last minute, she had called her boss and flat out told him that she had to go home. He tried his best to get her to change her mind, but she held firm this time.

Leaning back in the car's seat, she remembered their first date, if that is what you could call it one that night. It was after a competition and the handsome fox was in a very festive mood, he had talked Cooper into going to one of the beach bars to celebrate. She knew that this particular outdoor bar was his favorite and so she went there hoping he would show up.

The fox had arrived at the bar with Cooper and some of his other surfer buddies. She was sitting on a stool at the bar, watching him from the corner of her eyes and then she realized that he kept staring at her. After a few minutes of watching each other, she decided that it was now or never and took another sip of her drink for some liquid courage before hopping off the bar and used what she hoped was her most seductive moves as she walked towards him. _"So Mister Kole, the small board champion, what are you looking at?"_ she asked him with a smile, she was kind of proud that she didn't nervously stutter her words. Setting her drink on the table next to his, she reached around and pulled her tail while looking at it. _"Do I have something on my tail? You've been staring at it long enough."_

The table of males, who were sitting with the fox went dead silent before they slid out of Stone's way when he stood up and walked closer to her. _"It wasn't your tail I was looking at!"_ he replied while giving her at that cute sly smirk.

 _"Oh my, Mister Kole! It wasn't my tail?"_ she asked in a faux confused tone.

He shook his head no and she grinned at him, while she placed her paws on his bare chest before continuing, _"My mother always warned me about you silver-tongued foxes! So you got a good look at mine, I guess it's only fair that I get a good look at yours."_ Gods, that fox's fur felt so soft and she could feel his muscles beneath it.

One of his companions choked on his beer and coughed. She heard Cooper whisper, _"Damn!"_

His smirk turned into a real grin as he turned around and bent over a little, his tail was furiously wagging _. "Watch it champ, that tail almost knocked over our drinks,"_ she giggled. Stone almost jumped straight into the air when she reached over and caught his tail. She was mortified that she had done that, but the look he gave her just melted her heart.

That seemed like it was a long time ago and both of them had been through so much together since then.

After paying the driver, she raced up the stairs and quickly entered their home. At first, she was disappointed that it was empty and she wondered where Stone was? It was only after she set her suitcases down in the bedroom, that her disappointment quickly turned into fear when she realized that she was not alone.

"Youz must be the surfer's squeeze?" a scarred tomcat in a black shirt and white pants said as he walked out of the darkness and gave her an evil grin. He had cut her off from the doorway, trapping her inside of the room. "I came looking fer a fox, but I like what I see better."

"Stay away from me!" she desperately cried out as she tried to go around him, but he was too fast and caught her arm. She tried to scream in fear as he drew a knife, but he put his paw over her muzzle.

The tomcat then shoved her back against the wall as he lustfully eyed her over. "Youz know babe that if you play your cards right, I might let you live?" he huskily said as he brought the knife down and slowly sliced off a couple of the top buttons from her blouse.

The one big advantage that Karen had over any of the other girls that the tomcat had previously assaulted before, was that she knew Judy Hopps and the rabbit had taught her a thing or two about self-defense. She let out a false purr to encourage the tomcat to lower his guard and just when he thought she was willing, she brought her knee up into his groin and shoved him sprawling over the nearby chair. The tomcat cursed as he held himself in pain and before he could stand back up, the she-cat used his momentary discomfort as a chance to bolt out of the room. "Rape!" she screamed as she ran down the condominium complex's stairs toward the parking lot. "Help me…rape!"

Despite the commotion, the now enraged tomcat followed her as he screamed, "I'm gonna cut youz heart out bitch!"

Karen ran across the beach and towards the surf, she hoped that her attacker was a typical sand cat and didn't know how to swim very well. She was desperate to get out into the water where it was deep and as an expert swimmer, she would have the advantage. Splashing into the water, she waded out deeper where the surf began to break. Surprisingly the once docile waters now seemed to churn and crested as almost with anger before her. A huge wave rose and being an experienced surfer, she dove and swam into it only to pop out on the other side.

Chuckie was livid as he chased the other cat into the water and all he wanted to do now is make her pay for what she had done. The cat was a truly a child of the desert and he didn't realize he was in danger until it was too late, the undertow now yanked at this feet, pulling the sand from under his foot paws and he looked up just in time to see the wall of water as it came crashing down upon him with a vengeance. Pulled under, he flailed about as he tried to break toward the surface but another wave pushed him back under before he could gain purchase on the shifting underwater sea sand.

The she-cat panted with fear as she floated deep in the dark waters, her attacker was nowhere to be seen. There were voices along the beach and beams from flashlights, searching the waters. "Karen is that you?" a deep voice called from the shoreline and she recognized the massive dark silhouette of Mister Mvubu as his flashlight beam found her. "Come back in, it's safe!"

"I was attacked by a tomcat," she called back. "He followed me into the surf, do you see him?"

The large hippo splashed into the water and waded out far enough to reach her, she quickly climbed into his large arms. "I don't see him around here," the former wrestler said. "You're safe with me now."

He carried her back to the shore, where over a dozen of her neighbors were now waiting. "Down here!" someone yelled and they saw Sandfly standing in the water next to an inert body. The thin wolf quickly dragged the tomcat out of the water and onto the sand. He leaned down and began to try to resituate the smaller cat, but to no avail.

About an hour later, Detective Hammy Mudd lit a cigarette and took a long puff as he looked down at the dead tomcat in a body bag. "He's one of Salazar's boys," the pig sighed as he blew a cloud of smoke. "Why did Salazar send him after Stone Kole's girl?"

Walking away, he stopped and looked back at another detective, who was still standing by the body. "Do we know where the hell Storm Kole is really staying? I think we need to go ask him what is going on."

"I've got the victim's statement and her parents are here," the younger white-tailed deer buck answered. "Is it okay to let her leave?"

"Did she say where her fiancé is currently at?"

"She just said that she didn't know and that he was supposed to be home. His phone isn't answering either."

"Didn't Stone Kole hang out with a hopper…a wallaby…another surfer named Cooper or something?"

"Yeah, I asked her if that was where he was at and she said no. I've got the feeling that she really isn't sure what is going on."

"Put her under protective custody and have a car take her back to the station. We'll let her cool off awhile while she waits for us to come back after talking to Storm Kole. Maybe some time waiting in an interrogation room might cause her to reconsider her answers? Also, put an APB on Stone Kole, we need to find him too."

"You think she is lying?"

"I don't know what to think, but I'm pretty sure that somehow this was Storm Kole's fault."

The two detectives drove to the address listed for Storm Kole and found the seedy-looking apartment the sand cat was supposed to be living in was empty. Then they decided to try his mother's apartment located just off The Strand. There the boar found the door unlocked and when he opened it, he was surprised to find blood on the carpet and a bloody baseball bat.

"Call the CSI team," he ordered the younger detective. "This is going to be a long night." He walked around the apartment and realized that in the bedroom someone had hastily packed, as if in a hurry. Leaning over the detective picked up a photograph that showed Stone Kole standing with two other foxes, with a surprised oink he frowned when he recognized the red fox in the photo. "Also call the station and find out where the hell Officer Wilde is tonight?"


	19. Blood in the Snow

**Chapter 19: Blood in the Snow**

* * *

 **Salazar's two favorite enforcers, the dreaded T-Brothers, try to kitnap Stone from Mister Big's mansion in Tundratown.**

* * *

The large polar bear's blood not only stained his white fur a crimson red but puddled into the snow around his now motionless body. Tony grinned at his cousin Tommy as the T-Brothers slipped into the mansion's open door and softly padded their way down the plush carpeted hallway. He licked the red blood off his claws with a sadistic relish as whispered to the other tiger, "I told you we could get inside."

They stopped at the end of the hallway and sniffed while they peered into the large room before them. It was the mansion's main entry hall, the walls were lined with rich mahogany paneling and two long stairways led to the second floor above. Expensive oriental rugs covered the sturdy oak floors. "We are in the grand entry," Tommy whispered back to his partner. "The bedrooms are upstairs, but how do we know which room the fox is sleeping in tonight?"

"The weasels say that the guest suites are…ACK!" Tony had begun to whisper before he started to wheeze.

Tommy glanced over at his brother, a stout long rope had been lassoed around the tiger's massive neck and had been pulled taut, choking him. "You two no good sidewinders reckoned that you could just plain mosey on into here uninvited?" a groundhog in a butler's uniform yelled down at them. It took Tommy a few movements to realize that the small rodent did not only have his paws on the rope, but there was the largest polar bear that the tiger had ever seen standing behind him also gripping the rope.

The huge bear gave the rope a hardy yank, pulling Tony off his feet and dragging him by his neck across the wood floors. With an even harder pull, the bear in the black jogging suit used the stout banister as leverage while he lifted the tiger from the floor and off of his feet. Tony kicked and writhed as he hung suspended in the air by the noose around his neck. The tiger desperately clawed and pulled at the rope before the angry bear let out a deep growl as he pulled even harder. With one last final fatal yank by the bear, there was an audible crack and Tommy saw his cousin go limp. Tony's head then fell forward at an unnatural angle and it was obvious that the tiger's neck had been broken.

"Get the other one!" the bear, which he realized had to be Koslov, growled out as he let Tony's now dead body crumple to the floor. "Alive!"

Tommy found himself facing a dozen more large polar bears which had now entered the room. He quickly looked back to see that the only thing blocking him from running back down the hallway behind him was a trio of slim arctic fox vixens in white snowsuits with thin long sword-like knives in their paws defiantly standing in his way. With a roar, the large tiger lunged at them as he swiped his claws in an attempt to send them scattering. One of the vixens had rolled under his legs and he felt the surgically sharp blades cut into the back of his knees, slicing his hamstring tendons and sending him painfully toppling onto the carpet. Now crippled, he vainly tried to fight back while several large bears grabbed and subdued him.

"I see that you have met our three little angels, or perhaps they are more like snow devils, da?" Koslov called out from above. "Very talented assassins and they can give a good massage too!"

Several of the bears chuckled at that remark and Tommy knew that his fate was sealed.

"Take him to the office, the boss will want to talk to him!" the huge bear commanded.

Inside the clinic, Stone was awakened by the roar of a big cat and he sat up looking around. Jumping off the bed, he checked on Anton and saw that the young fox was still curled asleep on his bed with his tail firmly splinted to keep it immobile. The fennec fox pulled on his suit pants and began to button the dress shirt, which he had been wearing earlier during the day, he opened the door and began to walk down the hallway towards where he had heard the noise.

Hesitating, he first heard the soft trod of someone approaching down the darkened hallway towards him and then he caught the tangy scent of fresh blood and the very feminine aroma of vixens. Less than a moment later, he saw three white shadows approaching him.

"You are right Mishka, he is cute," a voice softly spoke. The other vixen next to the one named Mishka gave a slight giggle.

Stone didn't realize that his mouth had dropped open in surprise as he saw the three very beautiful arctic fox vixens approaching him. They were twice as tall as he was and gave off both the scent and the aura of winter cold, hot sex, and extreme danger. The small fox's mind was a whirl of primal emotions that ran between lust and fear.

"Alas Natasha, he is in love with a cat," the vixen named Mishka sighed out as she and the other two vixens stopped in front of him. "We all saw the video of this gallant fox protecting his pretty kitty."

"Gods, has everyone seen that video?" Stone groaned as he shook his head. It had been months since he and Karen had been ambushed by a sleazy reporter and his cameriamammal outside of his and Cooper's trailer across the strait in Seaside. Both he and Karen had just come out of the shower hut and were still naked as they were being filmed. In his anger about being ambushed by the press on private property, Stone had decked the groundhog reporter who had shoved his microphone into his face.

"Da!" Mishka answered as she reached over and ran her paw gently down Stone's right ear, causing him to flick it in surprise. She sniffed him and the stepped back with a smile because his scent had gone from arousal to that of embarrassment. "Such a brave little fox and so in love too. Come sisters, we have to go."

"What happened out there?" Stone quickly asked as they brushed past him and sashayed down the hallway.

"Nothing important," the vixen named Natasha airily called back before the three vixens giggled again as they disappeared down another hallway.

Stone stood there flabbergasted as he stared at where the foxes had gone and then with a flick of his ears, he cocked his head in surprise at the nearby sound of a chainsaw. _Why would someone be cutting down trees in the middle of the night?_ he thought to himself. Finally, with a sigh, he shook his head and returned to check on Anton in the clinic.

"I won't talk, no matter what you do to me!" Tommy defiantly roared as he looked over at the small shrew sitting in a tiny chair on top of a large oak desk. Around him the room was dark and bone-chilling cold, the windows were frosted and icy and so were the wood-paneled walls.

"You have nothing to say to me!" the small bushy-browed shrew dressed in a fashionable smoking jacket snapped back. "I didn't think that Salazar had the cojones to dare send you two into my town…into my home…to try to harm someone under my protection and it cost the life of one of my famiglia."

It took Tommy a moment to realize that the shrew was using the old term for family as relating to the mob. Then there was a thump next to him as two bears callously threw Tony's dead body onto the floor.

"You will deliver a message back to Salazar that I am not amused," the shrew actually growled out. Tommy felt his right paw being unbound and two bears firmly gripped it tight. There was the sound of a chainsaw roaring to life and he suddenly realized that his brother's right paw had been cut off. Turning towards the shrew, his eyes went up in fear. "At least part of you will deliver the message," the diminutive Godfather of the Northern Mob continued.

The tiger screamed in pain as the whirling blade cut into his flesh and through bone. In the red haze of pain and panic, Tommy saw that the bears had removed a large wooden hatch from the floor and he could see the icy water below as he was dragged towards the opening.

"Ice him!" the shrew angrily yelled. The tiger was shoved forward and with a splash, he landed in the numbing cold icy water below. Tommy struggled against his bonds for a moment as he tried not to gasp out for air and in doing so, the water poured into his lungs. Fear sank into his mind, along with the fatal realization that he was drowning. He vainly struggled to free himself from the cold water's grip, but finally, his mind went dark as death overcame him. He didn't even know that his cousin's body had joined him in his watery grave.


	20. I'm a Bad Guy, Remember?

**Chapter 20: I'm a Bad Guy, Remember?**

* * *

 **Storm spies on his former boss and has to rescue a vixen.**

* * *

The small tan furred fennec fox pushed himself deeper into the shadows of the air conditioning vent while he watched the corrupt camel hold his criminal court in the opulent chambers below him. As usual, Salazar sat cross-legged upon the luxuriously pillowed divan while he either puffed on his hookah or sipped from his silver chalice of chilled spiced wine.

How Storm Kole found himself hiding inside of the ductwork of the spacious palatial mansion owned by the very mammal who wanted him captured was simple, the fox was curious on what his former employer was up to and if there was some way he could get enough information to bring the mobster down.

Honey had shown him the tunnel which she had used to carry up and place the explosives that she claimed were going to be used to blow up the building when her much anticipated purge took place. The rickety ladder was made from scrap lumber and was too wide for the small fox to reach from rung to rung, so instead, he had to desperately cling to the back of the badger as she carefully climbed up and pushed aside a tile from within the wine cellar above them. From there, they cautiously slipped into one of the utility closets, where Storm knew he could wiggle into the air conditioning ducts and work his way up and across to where he could observe Salazar and his minions.

From his hidden perch above the room, he watched as one mobster after another made their reports and if Salazar was pleased, the fat camel would lazily reach over to a nearby silver tray of treats and toss a date or some type of candy to the speaker. No one dared not to pop the edible gift into his muzzle or snout and chew it with feigned gratitude as he or she bowed to the crime lord.

Suddenly, there was murmuring from the gathered assembly and the fox peered closer to the opening when he saw that another fennec fox had been dragged into the room and then shoved to the foot of the platform. Storm slightly gasped when he saw that it was Jasmine!

"Ah my dear, you have been returned to our embrace," Salazar deeply chuckled as he gave the vixen dressed in silk scarves a leering look. "So perhaps you can tell us where your little lover Storm Kole has disappeared to?"

"I don't know where he is Sidi," Jasmine answered as she stumbled to her feet and stood before the camel with her head lowered in canid submission. "I have not seen him since I was…"

"Don't you lie to me bitch!" Salazar suddenly yelled as he reached out and grabbed the scarves she wore, with a yank he left her standing there naked for all to see. "Kole was seen in your brothel not that long ago!"

Storm tried to calm himself as he willed himself not to growl while he watched the mistreatment of Jasmine from where he hid. Suddenly there was a whirring sound behind him and the fox realized too late that the air conditioner had turned on. A cold breeze ruffled his fur as it blew over him and then out of the vent. His ears drooped because, with the air, his scent was being blown into the room below.

Joey was standing in the corner, playing with the white bandage which covered most of his head. He paused as he sniffed the air and realized that there was a familiar scent. Stepping forward from where he was standing, the jackal looked up towards the vent where the fox was hiding. He started to say something, but suddenly the doorway slammed open and Abel charged into the room. "Out!" the thin camel commanded as he began to push the other gangsters toward the door. "Everyone get out!"

Quickly everyone, including Joey and Jasmine, scrambled towards the doors as the two camels faced each other. "How dare you!" Salazar snapped out as he began to stand.

"Are you an idiot?" Abel boldly answered with evident sarcasm in his voice. "You took the vixen from her brothel by force! I just got a phone call from the Rainforest Syndicate and they are livid! Are you looking to start a mob war just because your damned pride has been hurt by a fox?"

"Storm Kole insulted me when he did not do as commanded and he will pay for that in blood!"

"Cousin this has gone too far, to go after Storm Kole is one thing, but to threaten his family…his mother and brother… that is another! The cartel…"

"I am the Sidi and I shall decide what is to be done!" Salazar yelled back as he leaned over and picked up his hookah pipe.

Abel hesitated for a moment as he looked out towards the dark garden outside and then his eyes narrowed as he turned to face the other camel. "Just where are the T-Brothers? I did not see them when I entered."

"That is none of your concern!" Salazar answered as he took a puff from the pipe and blew the smoke towards the other camel.

"Please tell me that you didn't send them after Stone Kole in Tundratown?"

"I command here and not you, so get out!" Salazar answered as he sat back down on the cushions. "You will never come into here acting like this again."

Storm quietly shifted himself and began to silently crawl back towards where he had pulled off the grate in the nearby storage room, twisting he began to lower himself down towards the floor as he wondered where Honey had gone.

"Gotcha!" a familiar voice called out as the back of the small fox's jacket was seized in a strong grip, leaving him dangling just off the floor. "I knew that I smelled you earlier."

"Joey, let me go!" Storm pleaded. "I have to save Jasmine."

"Your little whore is safe now that I caught you…" the jackal began to say, but there was the sound of a meaty thud as something hard hit the larger canid and he dropped Storm from his grip.

Storm rolled as he tumbled to the ground and as he put a paw down to help him stand, he realized he felt something warm and sticky. The scent of it quickly told him what it was even before he looked, it was blood.

"Did I kill him?" Honey shakenly asked as she stood there holding a red-stained hammer.

"Naw, you just knocked him cold," Storm lied, for he knew that Joey was definitely dead. "Come on, it's not safe in here anymore. I need to get Jasmine and then we can get the hell out of here!"

"You get her and meet me at the opening in the basement," the badger answered as she gave the inert body another glance. "I'm too clumsy to sneak around here like you can."

Storm nodded as he silently slipped back into the vents and carefully crawled through the building, hoping he could find Jasmine before it was too late. It took him almost an hour of wiggling and creeping through the ductwork until he finally found her locked in one of the bedrooms. She was sitting on a bed, still naked, as she fearfully stared at the door.

With a slight grunt, he pushed the grate free from the wall and tried to climb out, but he slipped and fell with a thump onto the bed behind her. Jasmine gave a loud yip as she leaped off the bed and turned to find him lying on his back looking up at her. "Hi!" was all he could think of saying.

"Storm, why are you here?" she whispered in panic as she looked at the locked door. Neither fox had heard with their large ears that anyone was outside.

"I came to rescue you!" he answered with a grin as he sat up and looked her over. She actually blushed and tried to cover herself with her paws. He pulled off his dusty suit jacket and offered it to her.

"Rescue me? You idiot, they are after you and want to use me as bait!" she softly snarled as she pulled on the jacket, it didn't cover much. "You need to get out of here!"

"Not without you," he said as he reached over and ran his paw along her muzzle. With a sob, she rushed forward into his arms. "Now that I have found you, let's get going before someone comes."

"Where can we go?" she asked as she clung desperately against him.

"We will crawl through the ducts and then I have a friend waiting for us in the basement," he answered and then reluctantly pushed her away as he looked up at the vent above. "First we have to figure out how to get way up there to that opening?"

"We can put that large chair on the bed and then you can climb onto my shoulders and pull yourself up the rest of the way."

"I'm going to climb onto your shoulders?" he chuckled. "I think you should get on mine and then you can lower the bedsheet for me to pull myself up with."

With much difficulty, they managed to finally pull and tug the oversized chair onto the large bed and carefully, Storm climbed up on top of it and shakily got his balance. "I bet Stone would be better at this then I am, he can balance himself on a hunk of wood in the surf," he whispered as she slowly crawled up to join him, they almost toppled over when he tried to lift her onto his shoulders.

Finally, after a few minutes, she managed to stand on his shoulders and managed to grasp the opening. He reached up and pushed her higher. "Watch those paws mister!" she whispered down at him and he answered her protest with a grin. "Now I know why you wanted me to go first, that way you could cop a feel fox!"

"Guilty!" he snickered as she pulled herself into the vent. Just then he lost his balance as both he and the chair tumbled down with a crash.

"Quick, throw me the sheet!" she quietly called out. "I can pull you up."

Storm began to strip the sheet from the bed when suddenly he heard hoofs outside and a key in the lock. "Damn," he cursed. "Get out of here Jasmine, Honey is in the basement and she will help you escape!"

Before the door opened there was the sound of someone shouting and Storm realized that it was Abel arguing with Salazar again. Whoever was at the door left it locked and quickly walked away. "Quick!" Jasmine urged Storm to throw the sheet to her. He gave it a tug after she lowered it back down and then pulled himself slowly up the cotton material until he reached the vent opening and pulled himself inside. Once inside he realized she had managed to wedge herself inside the duct and she had tied the sheet around her own waist. "Gods you are heavy!" she snickered.

"If we weren't trying to escape with our lives, I'd find this strangely very sexy," he whispered back.

"Really Storm?" she sighed.

"Come on and follow me," he said as he wiggled past her.

For a moment they were stuck against each other in a very suggestive position. "Not now fox!" she protested in a husky voice. "First we need to get out of here."

"Yeah, rescue first, but you do owe me something when this is over."

"Planning to take advantage of a maiden in distress, how chivalrous of you Storm!" she sarcastically whispered into his ear. "So much for you being my knight in shining armor!"

"I'm a bad guy, remember?" he answered with a grin as he kissed her cheek.

"May the gods help me now!" she giggled as she followed him down the vents.

"Yep," the fox in front of her chuckled.

"Storm!" she giggled as she nipped at his tail, which was happily swishing in front of her face as if the tod didn't have a care in the world.


	21. Desert Snow

**Chapter 21: Desert Snow**

* * *

 **Stone finds out about Karen being attacked and Storm is captured.**

* * *

The small fennec fox crawled back into the oversized bed, which was located across the room from where Anton slept. The sounds of the chainsaw had quieted and his large ears twitched as he tried to listen to the hushed, but mostly inaudible, conversations coming from down the hallway. He held up his cell phone and stared at it in frustration, there still was no signal and then as he sat it back down on the bed, he realized that perhaps the mansion had some type of cell phone jammer.

Across the room, the young sleeping arctic fox gave a small whimper as if he was having a nightmare and the seven-year old's feet were kicking, as if he was attempting to run from somewhere or someone. Pulling his pants back on, Stone dropped onto the cold white tiles and padded his way across the room to the other fox's bedside.

"He is having bad dreams, da?" a voice softly rumbled and Stone turned to face the huge white-furred polar bear in the black jogging suit, who was standing in the doorway. "That little one has had too much tragedy in such a short life."

Behind him, the fox heard Anton give yet another whimper as he tossed about in his sleep. Pulling himself up upon the bed, Stone reached over and rubbed the white fur between the kit's ears. "Shhh, everything is okay," he softly whispered. "Your Uncle Stoney is here." The young fox calmed down when he realized he was safe.

"He needs someone to care for him," the large bear, who Stone remembered was named Koslov, continued. "He needs you fox."

"I'm not…" Stone began to object.

"You're not what?" the bear challenged him. "You care for him and he loves you like a father."

"But I could never be his dad!" Stone said as he leapt from the bed and to the floor.

"Of course not, why would you even try? Nyet, you still could be a parent to him even if it was as his foster parent."

"But that is a lot of responsibility and I don't know if I could be…"

"You are giving excuses little friend, trust me that even if you were his natural father you would have the same worries about raising a child."

"You told me you have a son named Morris, right?"

"Da! He is a good boy, but his father…well, I'm not so much, " the large bear answered as he spread his paws apart and shrugged.

"Do you worry about him?"

"One always worries about those we love and I pray that my son will grow up to be a better bear than I am. I always worry about his safety and happiness, that is part of being a parent."

"Still…"

"Still nothing, have you thought what will happen to that little fox when he is healed enough to leave here? He will have to go back to that school and face the same bullies who were mean to him before or we will have to find a new place to send him."

Stone's ears flattened when he realized what Koslov was telling him. He glanced back at the now peacefully sleeping kit and then back at the large polar bear again. There was something in the bear's eyes that told him that there was more then what he had been told.

"What happen?" he softly growled.

The bear shifted himself in the doorway as he looked down at the fennec fox. "Your pretty kitty is safe and with the police…" he began.

"Karen!" Stone now yelled out in panic. "What happened to Karen?"

"Uncle Stoney?" Anton sleepily called out as he shifted in his bed and lifted his head to look at where the other fox was standing by the door. "Is Miss Karen alright?"

"She is safe, little one," Koslov replied. "There is nothing to worry your little head about, so go back to sleep. You Uncle Stone and I just need to talk in private. Come, Mister Kole and follow me to my office."

* * *

Storm led Jasmine down the dusty air ducts towards the basement. He paused when she gave a soft, but very cute sneeze and turned to hold a digit over his lips. She gave him a shrug before he turned back to continue crawling and wiggling down the boxy aluminum ducts. Suddenly before them, there was a heavy thump and the metal between them was crushed as a huge gray hoof smashed into it. Storm cursed as the ductwork was torn from its hangers and pulled downward, spilling both himself and Jasmine into a pile upon the cold tile floor at the feet of a huge male elephant.

"So there you are!" Salazar said as he leaned over them. "My poor little ones, we found Joey's body and so his friends tracked your scent through the air conditioner vents."

Rough paws seized Storm's arms as several jackals pulled him to his feet. He growled and snapped at the larger canids, one of whom backhanded him.

"Bind him well and bring him to me in the garden," the camel commanded as he turned to leave. "As for her, she is yours to do with as you will, just don't leave a mark for she will be returned to her new owners."

The small fox yipped as a jackal pulled his arms behind his back and began to bind him with plastic ties. "I'm sorry Jasmine!" he called out as she was slung over the shoulder of another jackal.

"Storm!" Jasmine screamed as she kicked and hit her captor.

"Come on sweetheart, your little foxy friend is as good as dead," the jackal laughed. "Just be a good girl tonight and you will be freed in the morning. Come on and wipe away those tears."

Salazar was in a good mood as he walked back towards his dais, he would have the fox beheaded in the morning before his followers. The public execution of the traitor would reinforce the other's fear and therefore cement their continued loyalty to him. But as he entered the room, he hesitated when he saw a strange package sitting by the pillows. Abdel was standing there and the thin camel was in his traditional robe as he watched him enter the room. "What is this?" Salazar demanded as he pointed towards the box.

"A warning Sidi from Mister Big, it seems that the T-Brothers were caught," Abdel answered as he walked over and picked up the box, turning it over and dumping its contents upon the floor. Staring at the two large tiger paws lying on the gray and tan tiles, Salazar tried to keep his hoof from shaking while he picked up a silver cup and poured some chilled wine into it before he took a gulp. "It seems that the shrew as not amused that you sent them after one of his guests, you know how hospitality is considered sacred to the northern mammals?" Abdel continued.

The fat camel gulped another mouthful of the cold wine before he sat down upon the cushions. Perhaps it was the sight of his two favorite enforcers bloody paws on the floor before him, but he was feeling flushed and dizzy. "What did the message say," he asked as he lifted the cup to take another sip. His head was now swimming and he dropped the cup even as he up looked at the thin camel. "What did you do to me?" he slurred out in panic as he slumped forward. Everything was growing hazy and spinning, he tried to steady himself even as he cursed the other camel in his native tongue.

"The price of peace was your life, Sidi," Abdel sadly said as he watched his cousin fall forward. "Just rest, for it will soon be over."

"Trai…trai…trai…dor!" Salazar slurred out before he closed his eyes. His breathing became labored and shallow, soon the corrupt camel gave a wheezing shudder before his body went limp in death's cold embrace.

Across the building, the jackal carrying the half-dressed fennec fox shoved the bedroom door open. The room, however, wasn't empty and she saw a white-furred arctic fox vixen in a white jacket and pants lounging on the bed as if she was waiting for someone. "Who the hell are you?" the jackal snarled as he stood there with the tan-furred vixen still slung over his shoulder.

"I was hired by some friends in the Rainforest District to retrieve their property," the vixen answered in a heavily accented voice. "Now turn the pretty little fox over to me and you won't be hurt."

Jasmine was surprised when the male jackal dumped her on the bed next to the vixen and quickly backed away from the smaller fox in fear. "Your one of Big's girls, one of his Snow Angels!" her former captor nervously whined out as he stepped towards the door. "I was just following orders. Look…look, she's safe."

"Good for you that she is, da?" the white vixen giggled as she stood up and there was the flash of something silvery in one of her paws. Before Jasmine and the retreating jackal realized what had happened, the long knife had disappeared again and her liberator tossed her a chunk of the bedspread she had effortlessly cut off. "Now cover your waist."

"What about Storm, they took Storm!" Jasmine asked as she wrapped the spread around herself, hiding her nakedness. "Please, we need to save Storm."

"He is safe," the vixen replied. "My sisters went after him and they will meet us outside."


End file.
